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"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 


FOB 


THE  MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TIME. 


BY 

COUSIN    CAKKIE. 


NEW  YORK : 
D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY, 

443  &  445  BROADWAY. 
LONDON:  16  LITTLE  BRITAIN. 
1864. 


ENTEBED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1863,  by 
D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  tho  United  States  for 
the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 


CHAPTEE  I. 

"  I  AM  sorry  for  you,  Lilian,  but  they  say 
the  change  must  be  made,  and,  much  as  I 
regret,  I  am  unable  to  prevent  it." 

The  speaker,  a  tall,  grave-looking,  middle- 
aged  man,  was  principal  of  the  public  school 
in  a  small  New  England  village.  The  words 
were  addressed  to  a  young  girl  not  more  than 
fifteen  years  of  age,  in  deep  mourning,  who, 
with  her  head  bowed  upon  the  desk  before 
which  she  was  seated,  and  her  whole  frame 
quivering  with  suppressed  sobs,  seemed  the 
very  picture  of  helpless  distress.  The  stern 
man's  features  lost  much  of  their  sternness, 
and  something  very  like  a  tear  shone  for  a 
moment  in  his  usually  cold  gray  eye,  as  he 
glanced  from  the  weeping  girl  to  a  little 
child  who  stood  by  her  side,  crying  because 

742 


4:  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

her  sister  did,  though  she  scarcely  knew  the 
reason  why.  He  moved  uneasily,  and  hastily 
repeated,  "  I  am  very  sorry,  Lilian." 

The  young  girl  arose,  and,  extending  her 
hand  to  him,  said,  with  trembling  lips, 
a  Thank  you  for  your  kind  sympathy,  Mr. 
Wise.  I  know  it  is  not  in  your  power  to 
help  me,  or  you  would  do  so."  Then  hastily 
tying  on  her  bonnet,  she  took  her  little  sis- 
ter's hand,  and,  leaving  the  schoolhouse, 
walked  with  a  hurried  step  to  a  pretty  little 
cottage  situated  on  the  same  street. 

Lilian  Ross  was  an  orphan.  Her  father 
died  when  she  was  but  nine  years  old,  her 
brother  Herbert  fourteen,  and  little  Eva  a 
beautiful  blue-eyed  baby.  In  less  than  a  year 
after  his  father's  death,  Herbert  went  away 
on  a  sea  voyage  with  an  uncle.  The  ship 
was  lost  on  its  homeward  trip,  and  all  on  board 
perished. 

Mrs.  Ross  with  her  remaining  children 
continued  to  reside  in  the  little  white  cottage 
which  had  long  been  their  home,  until  about 
six  months  previous  to  the  time  at  which  our 
story  commences,  when,  after  a  long  sickness, 
she  died,  leaving  her  young  daughters  alone 
in  the  world,  penniless  and  almost  friendless. 

Lilian  soon  learned  that,  as  the  annuity 
upon  which  they  had  hitherto  lived  ceased  at 


her  mother's  death,  she  must  do  something  for 
the  support  of  herself  and  little  Eva,  and  hear- 
ing that  an  assistant  teacher  in  the  village 
school  was  about  leaving,  she  applied  for  the 
situation,  which,  notwithstanding  her  youth, 
was  readily  granted  her,  for  she  had  been  a 
favorite  pupil  in  the  school,  and  all  felt  sym- 
pathy for  her  in  her  unprotected  situation. 

The  cottage  was  taken  by  a  nice,  motherly 
old  lady,  Mrs.  Smith,  and  her  daughter. 
They  had  been  friends  of  Mrs.  Ross,  and  were 
much  attached  to  her  children.  Lilian  and 
Eva  boarded  with  them,  so  they  were  not 
obliged  to  leave  their  old  home  ;  and  though 
they  sadly  missed  their  mother,  these  kind 
friends  did  all  in  their  power  to  supply  her 
place ;  and  if  Lilian  did  sometimes  feel  very 
weary  when  the  day's  task  was  over,  still  she 
was  happy  in  the  thought  that  by  her  own  ex- 
ertion she  was  enabled  to  support  herself  and 
little  sister  in  comfort. 

But  this  Friday  evening,  Mr.  "Wise  had' 
asked  her  to  remain  a  few  moments  after 
school,  and  when  the  children  had  all  gone 
away  with  their  merry  voices  and  careless 
hearts,  he  told  her  that  the  school  committee 
had  decided  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
have  an  older  and  more  experienced  teacher 
in  her  place,  and  that  consequently,  after  the 


6 


next  week,  which  closed  the  fall  term,  her 
services  would  be  no  longer  required. 

The  good  man  felt  very  sad  at  the  pain 
he  was  obliged  to  inflict,  and  it  is  with  his 
words  of  pity  that  our  story  opens. 

With  a  sad  heart  Lilian  performed  the 
duties  of  her  last  week  in  school.  Many  a 
time  did  her  tears  blister  the  page  of  the 
primer  from  which  some  little  child  was  la- 
boriously lisping  A,  B,  0,  to  the  sorrowful 
surprise  of  the  little  one,  who  missed  the  en- 
couraging smile  of  its  young  teacher. 

Friday  evening  again  came  around.  She 
received  her  quarter's  salary  from  Mr.  Wise, 
and  for  the  last  time  crossed  the  threshold  of 
the  old  red  schoolhouse,  where  she  had  spent 
so  many  hours  of  happy  childhood,  and  where 
she  had  had  her  first  struggle  with  the  cares 
and  responsibilities  of  life. 

The  next  day,  Lilian  sat  by  the  windows 
of  her  own  room,  thinking  sadly  of  the  hard 
lot  which  had  deprived  her  of  her  only  sup- 
port, and  striving  in  vain  to  form  some  plan 
for  the  future.  All  was  dark  to  her,  and  as 
the  chilling  November  blast  swept  the  few 
dead  leaves  from  the 'naked  branches,  and  the 
great  drops  of  rain  slowly  trickled  over  the 
window  pane,  Nature  seemed  to  have  no  mes- 
sage for  her  but  of  death,  desolation,  and  tears. 


Presently  the  door  was  thrown  open  and 
little  Eva  bounded  into  the  room.  She  had 
quite  forgotten  the  sorrow  which  she  could 
not  comprehend,  and  her  bright  eyes  sparkled 
with  pleasure,  as  she  ran  to  her  sister's  side, 
holding  up  a  few  autumn  flowers  which  she 
had  found  in  a  sheltered  nook  of  their  little 
garden. 

Lilian  tried  to  force  an  answering  smile, 
but  the  child  saw  that  she  was  too  sad  to 
share  her  delight  in  her  treasures,  and  with  a 
subdued  look  and  quiet  step,  she  stole  away, 
and  throwing  herself  on  the  rug  before  the 
fire,  she  commenced  arranging  her  flowers.  A 
very  pretty  picture  was  little  Eva  Ross  as  she 
sat  there.  Her  bright  curls,  which  lay  in 
wild  confusion  over  her  black  dressy  shone  in 
the  firelight  like  burnished  gold ;  her  cheeks 
were  flushed  with  exercise,  and  her  red  lips 
parted  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction  as  the  bou- 
quet grew  beneath  her  skilful  little  fingers. 

Presently  she  began  to  sing — at  first  in  a 
low  murmuring  tone  that  did  not  arouse  her 
sister  from  her  sad  musings ;  but  soon  her 
voice  rose  more  clearly,  and  the  words  she 
sang  became  distinct. 

Lilian  turned  to  listen.  A  bright  contrast 
was  the  happy  child  and  her  gay  flowers  to 
the  dark  clouds  and  bare  tempest-tossed 


8  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

boughs  upon  which  the  young  girl  had  been 
looking.  And  in  as  great  contrast  to  her  own 
foreboding  thoughts  was  the  simple  song 
which  the  little  one  was  singing. 

God  bless  the  flowers,  the  gentle  flowers, 

That  come  to  cheer  us  here ; 
They  brighten  many  dusky  hours, 

And  chide  full  many  a  tear. 

For  will  not  He  who  keeps  the  flowers 

Amid  these  autumn  blasts, 
Protect  us  too,  in  darkening  hours, 

Until  the  storms  are  past  ? 

These  trusting  words,  which  little  Eva  sung 
in  her  artless  way,  stole  like  dawning  light 
over  the  heart  of  her  sister,  awakening  her 
sleeping  faith  and  painting  with  the  rainbow 
hues  of  hope  the  heavy  clouds  which  hung 
around  her  spirit.  She  started  up  and  catch- 
ing the  little  warbler  in  her  arms,  covered  her 
with  kisses.  Then  she  bathed  her  swollen 
eyes,  resolving  to  waste  no  more  time  in  use- 
less tears,  but  to  arouse  herself  and  look  about 
for  some  employment,  however  humble,  that 
would  bring  them  the  necessities  of  life.  Be- 
lieving that  He  who  had  thus  far  provided  for 
them  wrould  still  continue  his  watchful  c^re. 

Eva  was  delighted  to  see  her  sister  smile 
once  more,  and  was  soon  prattling  to  her  of 


the  time  she  had  gathering  her  flowers  ;  how 
the  wind  almost  blew  her  away  and  the  rain 
splashed  in  her  face.  Then  together  they  ar- 
ranged the  bright  blossoms  in  their  little  blue 
vases,  and  were  just  admiring  their  handi- 
work, when  Mrs.  Smith  came  to  tell  Lilian 
that  Miss  Jackson  wished  to  see  her. 

Miss  Jackson  was  a  cheerful,  busy  little 

body — the  one  dressmaker  of  B ,  who 

knew  every  one  in  the  village,  a  great  many 
people  out  of  it,  and  was  a  particular  friend 
of  good  Mrs.  Smith.  When  she  heard  that 
Lilian  had  lost  her  situation  in  the  school,  she 
was  very  indignant,  and  said  more  hard  things 
of  the  trustees  than  her  genial  heart  had  ever 
thought  or  her  smiling  lips  uttered  before  of 
any  one.  But  her  sympathy  did  not  exhaust 
itself  in  words,  as  human  sympathy  is  too  apt 
to  do  :  she  determined,  as  she  said,  to  "  keep 
one  eye  open,  and  see  if  something  would  not 
turn  up  for  the  poor  girl."  Many  a  talk  she 
and  Mrs.  Smith  had  on  the  subject.  The  lat- 
ter would  glady  have  kept  the  orphans  with 
her  free  of  charge,  but  she  was  poor  herself, 
and  could  not  gratify  all  her  generous  im- 
pulses. 

And  now  Miss  Jackson  had  come  to  an- 
nounce that  something  had  "  turned  up,"  in 
the  shape  of  a  New  York  milliner,  who  was 


10 


visiting  her  brother,  Deacon  Sharp,  and  who 
wished  to  find  a  young  girl  to  go  back  to  the 
city  with  her  and  make  herself  generally  use- 
ful in  her  establishment.  Miss  Jackson  had 
been  at  the  Deacon's  house  fitting  a  dress  for 
Mrs.  Sharp,  and  as  the  subject  was  discussed 
in  her  hearing,  she  at  once  thought  of  Lilian, 
and  was  so  enthusiastic  in  her  praise  as  to 
convince  Mrs.  Pettigue  that  she  would  have 
found  an  inestimable  treasure,  if  the  young 
girl  could  be  persuaded  to  accompany  her. 

It  was  accordingly  agreed  that  the  bus- 
tling little  dressmaker  should  call  on  Lilian 
that  very  day,  and,  if  she  was  willing  to  try 
city  life,  bring  her  to  see  her  would-be  em- 
ployer. 

Poor  Lilian  was  much  distressed  at  the 
thought  of  leaving  her  quiet  country  home 
and  the  dear  friends  who  had  shared  her  joys 
and  sympathized  with  her  sorrows ;  but  she 
must  in  some  way  support  herself  and  Eva, 
and  it  might  be  many  a  long  day  before  she 
could  find  employment  in  the  village ;  so  driv- 
ing back  her  tears,  she  prepared  to  accompany 
Miss  Jackson  to  the  Deacon's. 

Mrs.  Smith  wept  bitterly  as  she  thought 
how  lonely  the  cottage  would  be  without  lit- 
tle Eva's  merry  songs  and  laughter,  and  how 
long  the  winter  evenings  would  seem  with  no 


11 


Lilian  to  read  aloud,  while  she  and  her  daugh- 
ter were  busied  with  their  sewing  an£  knit- 
ting ;  and  deeper  than  any  selfish  sorrow  was 
the  pain  of  seeing  her  darlings  go  forth  from 
the  safe  shelter  of  he?  humble  roof  to  wrestle 
with  the  trials  and  temptations  of  the  great  city. 
But  she  could  not  bid  them  stay ;  she  could 
only  pray  that  the  Father  of  the  fatherless 
would  guide  and  guard  them  amid  the  dangers 
which  would  surround  them  when  she  should 
be  no  longer  near  to  counsel  and  direct. 


12  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 


CHAPTEK  II. 

THE  interview  between  Mrs.  Pettigue  and 
Lilian  was  very  satisfactory  to  the  former, 
who  congratulated  herself  upon  her  good  for- 
tune in  having  secured  the  services  of  so  mod- 
est and  ladylike  a  girl;  whose  quiet,  gentle 
manners  she  felt  sure  would  add  another 
charm  to  her  already  famous  establishment. 
But  very  far  from  satisfactory  was  the  im- 
pression made  upon  poor  Lilian  by  her  new 
acquaintance.  Mrs.  Pettigue  was  a  thin,  sal- 
low w^oman,  with  restless,  piercing  black  eyes, 
that  seemed  ever  on  the  alert  to  discover  some 
fault  or  failing  in  others.  She  was  dressed  in 
the  extreme  of  fashion,  but  no  outward  adorn- 
ing could  conceal  her  native  vulgarity.  When 
conversing  with  the  young  orphan  she  inva- 
riably spoke  in  the  gentlest  of  tones,  but  with 
so  evident  an  effort,  that  Lilian  readily  guessed 
it  was  not  her  usual  manner  of  speaking  to 
those  who  were  dependent  upon  her.  Nor 
was  she  far  from  right.  There  was  enough 


13 


tyranny  swelling  in  the  heart  which  throbbed 
beneath  Mrs.  Petti gue's  fashionably  cut  bod- 
ice, to  have  furnished  the  Czar  of  all  the 
Kussias,  and  the  Emperor  of  Morocco  to  boot ; 
and  though  her  domain  was  small,  her  sub- 
jects were  made  to  feel  the  weight  of  her 
iron  seep 're  none  the  less  keenly.  But 
she  was  quick  to  perceive  that  Lilian  pos- 
sessed characteristics  which,  though  not  con- 
genial to  her  own  nature,  were  calculated  to 
please  many -of  the  most  influential  of  her 
patrons ;  and  thinking  that  the  fact  of  her 
having  so  pleasing  an  attendant  in  her  rooms 
might  result  in  an  increase  of  custom,  she  was 
very  anxious  to  secure  her  services,  and  so 
much  overacted  her  role  of  disinterested  bene- 
factress that  Lilian  soon  saw  through  the 
disguise.  Still,  as  there  seemed  no  alterna- 
tive, she  accepted  her  propositions,  and  after 
agreeing  to  return  with  her  to  New  York  the 
next  week,  left  the  good  Deacon's  house,  with 
a  heavier  heart  even  than  that  with  which  she 
had  entered.  Not  so  with  gay,  hopeful,  lit- 
tle Miss  Jackson  :  she  was  too  single-minded 
herself  to  suspect  another  of  duplicity,  and 
too  blind  with  regard  to  the  faults  of  her 
neighbors,  to  discover  aught  else  in  the  honest 
Deacon's  sister  than  that  she  was  a  very  obli- 
ging body,  who  had  given  her  some  valuable 


14 

information  about  the  fashions,  and  finally 
had  quite  won  her  heart  by  speaking  so  kind- 
ly to  Lilian,  and  providing  her  with  so  good 
a  situation ;  and  though  she  could  not  help 
feeling  sad  at  the  thought  of  so  soon  parting 
with  her  and  her  little  pet  Eva,  she  reproved 
herself  for  what  she  called  her  selfishness,  and 
as  they  walked  homeward^  in  the  cold  driz- 
zling rain,  she  talked  cheeringly  and  hopefully 
to  her  young  companion,  of  the  future,  which 
she  was  determined  should  be  bright,  and  how, 
one  of  these  days,  when  she  had  made  her  for- 
tune in  New  York,  she  and  little  Eva  would 

come  back  to  dear  old  B ,  and  they  should 

all  be  so  happy  as  to  quite  forget  that  they 
had  ever  been  sorrowful. 

Lilian  listened  and  tried  to  feel  encouraged 
and  to  answer  in  the  same  cheerful  strain,  but 
a  choking  sensation  in  her  throat  would  not 
let  her  speak,  so  she  walked  on  in  silence,  and 
in  silence  she  returned  the  good-night  kiss  of 
her  cheery,  bustling  friend,  at  the  gate  of  the 
little  cottage. 

Little  Eva  was  the  only  one  of  the  house- 
hold whose  sleep  was  undisturbed  that  night. 
Mrs.  Smith  and  her  daughter  lay  awake,  vain- 
ly trying  to  form  some  plan  by  which  the 
parting  might  be  avoided,  and  when  at  last 
they  were  forced  to  relinquish  this  hope,  their 


15 


thoughts  were  kept  busy  with  self-denying 
plans  to  furnish  the  young  orphans  with  a 
comfortable  outfit  for  their  journey. 

"  There  is  my  bombazine  dress,  Rebecca," 
said  the  old  lady ;  "  it  was  bought  when  your 
father  died,  and  that  is  ten  long  years  ago. 
ThQ  waist  and  sleeves  are  pretty  much  gone, 
and  I  was  thinking  of  having  the  skirt  made 
into  a  petticoat  this  winter ;  but  perhaps  it  is 
most  too  good  for  that,  and  there  is  enough 
of  it  to  make  Eva  a  dress  and  sacque.  When 
it  is  sponged  and  pressed  it  will  look  very 
nice.  I  will  see  Miss  Jackson  about  it  to- 
morrow. If  she  will  cut  and  fit  the  dress,  we 
can  manage  the  rest  ourselves." 

To  this  Miss  Becky  readily  agreed ;  then 
after  a  moment's  reflection,  she  said,  "  And 
mother,  you  know  I  am  having  my  black  de- 
laine, made  over ;  Miss  Jackson  fitted  the  new 
lining  yesterday,  but  really  I  go  out  so  little 
I  hardly  need  it.  With  a  little  altering  she 
can  make  it  a  very  nice  dress  for  Lilian." 

Mrs.  Smith  thought  over  her  daughter's 
already  scanty  wardrobe,  and  demurred  at  her 
making  the  sacrifice;  but  her  objection  was 
soon  overruled  by  Miss  Becky,  who  declared 
that  she  could  do  so  well  without  the  dress 
that  she  wondered  she  had  ever  thought  of 
having  it  made  up  for  herself. 


16 


Thus,  with  noble  self-forgetfulness,  the 
mother  and  daughter  through  many  hours  of 
the  night  were  wakeful  and  busy  with  eco- 
nomical but  generous  contrivances  for  the 
comfort  of  their  dear  ones,  and  even  when  at 
last  they  fell  asleep,  dreamed  of  footing  stock- 
ings and  knitting  mittens  for  them. 

Think  you  not  that  the  recording  angel 
who  bent  above  the  couch  of  those  two  poor 
wromen,  noting  down  their  little  self-sacrifices, 
bore  to  the  courts  of  heaven  as  bright  a  page 
as  that  which  chronicled  the  millionaire's  gift 
of  thousands  to  some  popular  charity  ? 

While  her  kind  friends  were  thus  striving 
to  forget  their  own  grief  in  planning  for  her 
welfare,  Lilian,  relieved  from  the  restraint, 
which,  for  their  sake  and  that  of  little  Eva, 
she  had  placed  upon  herself  when  with  the 
family,  wept  and  sobbed  most  bitterly.  For- 
getting that  she  had  resolved  so  short  a  time 
before  never  more  to  despond,  but  always  to  put 
her  trust  in  God,  she  now  looked  despairingly 
upon  the  darkest  spot  in  her  unpromising  fu- 
ture, and  felt  that  she  was  utterly  forsaken. 
The  loud  striking  of  the  old  clock  as  it  marked 
the  slowly  passing  hours,  seemed  now  a  knell 
for  the  happy  days  that  were  gone,  and  now 
an  alarm,  warning  her  of  those  which  wrere 
approaching.  It  was  not  until  the  gray  morn- 


17 


ing  light  looked  in  at  her  chamber  window 
that  the  wearied  and  excited  girl  found  sweet 
forgetfulness  in  sleep. 

The  few  remaining  days  of  the  orphans' 
stay  in  their  old  home  were  so  fully  occupied 
with  the  hurried  preparations  for  their  de- 
parture, that  there  was  but  little  time  to  give 
way  to  unavailing  regrets.  A  few  friends 
came  to  bid  them  good-by,  and  express  their 
good  wishes  for  their  future.  Together  they 
visited  a  few  favorite  spots,  and  knelt  at 
their  parents'  graves,  but  all  was  done  hur- 
riedly and  in  a  kind  of  excitement  which 
prevented  the  full  realization  that  it  was  the 
last  time,  it  might  be  for  years,  and  it  might 
be  forever,  that  they  were  to  look  upon  these 
dear  scenes  and  faces  which  had  so  long  been 
familiar  to  them. 


18 


CHAPTER  III. 

TIME  moves  with,  no  laggard  pace  when 
he  bears  us  onward  to  some  dreaded  future, 
however  distant  it  may  seem,  and  Lilian's  lit- 
tle week  of  respite  flew  past  on  such  rapid 
wings  that  before  she  had  learned  fully  to 
comprehend  the  fact  that  she  was  to  go  forth 
in  the  wide  cold  world,  the  appointed  day 
had  arrived.  The  last  stitch  had  been  taken 
in  the  humble  outfit ;  the  trunk — she  and 
Eva  needed  but  one — stood  ready  locked  and 
strapped  ;  her  bonnet  and  shawl  lay  on  the 
snowy  counterpane  of  the  bed  where  she  had 
dreamed  childhood's  bright  dreams,  and  be- 
side which  she  had  knelt  to  ask  for  strength 
to  bear  the  sorrows  that  pressed  so  heavily  on 
her  youth.  Mrs.  Smith  with  trembling  hands 
was  stowing  away  in  a  little  basket  the  nice 
things  which  were  to  beguile  their  journey, 
and  Miss  Becky  was  for  the  last  time  smooth- 
ing little  Eva's  curls,  while  her  tears,  which 
fell  like  rain  upon  the  golden  ripples,  so 
blinded  her  that  she  could  hardly  see  to  per- 


19 


form  the  loving  task.  Nothing  remained  but 
to  look  once  more  into  the  room  where  her 
mother  died,  and  say  the  last  sad  words  of 
farewell  to  those  who  had  so  faithfully  en- 
deavored to  fill  her  place.  Bravely  she  strove 
against  the  feeling  of  utter  .desolation  that 
chilled  her  very  heart ;  but  when  old  Ponto, 
who  had  been  the  playmate  of  her  childhood, 
came  and  thrust  his  shaggy  head  in  her  lap, 
and  gazing  into  her  face  with  a  wistful,  in- 
quiring look,  as  if  he  suspected  she  was  about 
to  leave  him,  and  would  reproach  her  for  the 
desertion,  her  forced  fortitude  gave  way,  and 
throwing  her  arms  around  the  neck  of  the 
old  favorite,  she  wept  bitterly. 

Little  Eva,  who  had  been  secretly  instruct- 
ed by  Miss  Jackson  to  "  be  a  good  girl,  and 
not  give  her  sister  any  trouble,  and  on  no  ac- 
count to  let  her  see  that  she  was  sorry  to 
leave  the  old  place,  but  to  keep  singing  and 
playing  about  as  if  nothing  was  the  matter," 
had  all  the  morning  been  striving  to  carry 
out  the  somewhat  difficult  part  assigned  her, 
thereby  gaining  for  herself  the  reputation 
with  some  of  the  neighbors  of  being  a  "  heart- 
less little  minx,  who  cared  no  more  about 
leaving  her  old  friends  than  if  they  were  so 
many  stocks  and  stones."  Little  did  those 
who  judged  her  know  that  the  child  loved 


20 


even  the  very  "  stocks  and  stones  "  about  the 
humble  homestead  with  an  ardor  which  they 
were  incapable  of  appreciating,  and  that  the 
songs  which  gave  such  offence  came  welling 
wearily  up  from  a  heart  which  longed  to  give 
vent  to  its  grief  in  childish  lamentations  ;  that 
what  they  condemned  as  heartlessness,  was 
smiled  upon  by  good  angels  as  an  evidence 
of  noble  self-forgetfulness.  But  Eva's  self- 
control,  heroically  as  she  had  struggled  for  it, 
deserted  her  at  last ;  for  when  she  saw  her 
sister  weeping  on  the  neck  of  old  Ponto,  the 
grief  which  she  had  so  long  kept  tightly  locked 
in  her  baby  heart,  burst  forth  in  passionate  sobs. 
Miss  Becky  caught  the  child  to  her  breast  and 
mingled  her  tears  with  those  of  her  little  fa- 
vorite, and  kind-hearted  Mrs.  Smith  strove 
with  trembling  lips  to  speak  the  words  of 
comfort  which  she  could  not  feel. 

"  Hoity,  toity  !  what  is  all  this  about  ?  " 
exclaimed  Deacon  Sharp,  who  had  come  up 
with  his  light  wagon  to  convey  the  young 
travellers  together  with  his  sister  to  the  near- 
est railroad  station,  and  who,  entering  without 
knocking,  had  come  upon  the  little  household 
at  the  moment  they  were  thus  giving  vent  to 
their  grief  at  parting.  "  Why,  Lillie,"  he 
continued,  "  one  would  think  that  Pont  was 
your  last  friend,  and  about  to  suffer  a  just 


21 


penalty  on  the  gallows  for  all  the  robberies  of 
my  henroost  that  he  has  been  guilty  of. 
Cheer  up,  child !  I  promise  you,  I  will  not 
touch  a  hair  of  his  wicked  old  head  while  -you 
are  gone.  And  you  too,  rosebud ! "  (toss- 
ing Eva  in  the  air,)  "  take  care,  you  will  put 
out  those  bright  eyes,  and  then  you  can't  see 
the  fine  sights  when  you  get  to  York." 

The  blunt  but  good-natured  Deacon  did 
much  toward  restoring  the  composure  of  the 
sorrowful  group,  for  there  is  no  surer  check 
to  the  outward  manifestation  of  grief  than 
that  which  it  receives  from  the  unsympa- 
thizing  though  not  unfriendly  ridicule  or  jest. 

The  brief  farewells  were  hurried  through, 
and  Lilian  soon  found  herself  seated  beside 
Mrs.  Pettigue,  who.  looked  with  ill-concealed 
impatience  upon  her  pale  face  and  swollen 
eyes,  and  who,  instead  of  speaking  words  of 
comfort  and  encouragement,  began  almost  im- 
mediately to  tell  her  how  foolish  she  was,  not 
to  follow  her  advice  and  leave  Eva  behind, 
dwelling  on  the  burden  and  hinderance  she 
would  be  to  her  in  the  city,  and  assuring  her 
that  she  would  never  consent  to  have  the 
child  loitering  about  her  rooms.  Poor  Lilian 
listened  to  the  fretful  tirade  in  silence,  seeing 
in  it  but  the  beginning  of  trouble,  and  half 
condemning  herself  for  taking  her  little  sis- 


22  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

ter  to  share  the  dreary  lot  which  she  saw 
opening  before  her. 

"When  they  reached  the  cars,  all  was 
noise  and  confusion,  and  the  youthful  travel- 
lers, bewildered  by  the  novel  sight  and  sounds, 
scarcely  heard  the  Deacon's  hearty  good-by, 
or  realized  that  they  were  flying  with  almost 
the  swiftness  of  thought  away  from  their  hap- 
py home. 

Mrs.  Pettigue,  to  whom  a  ride  on  the  rail- 
road was  no  new  thing,  ensconced  herself 
comfortably  in  a  corner  of  the  seat,  and  gave 
her  attention  wholly  to  the  perusal  of  the  last 
new  novel.  Little  Eva,  relieved  from  the  sur- 
veillance of  those  piercing  black  eyes,  knelt 
by  the  window,  and  with  childhood's  elas- 
ticity of  spirit,  forgot  her  grief  in  wondering 
admiration  of  the  varied  scenes  which  flitted 
before  her  gazfe.  Thus  left  to  herself,  Lilian 
drew  her  veil  closely  over  her  face  and  lost 
all  consciousness  of  outward  things  in  moody, 
troubled  thought. 

The  incongruous  party  were  borne  swiftly 
on  their  journey,  and  reached  New  York  early 
in  the  evening — a  dark,  chill,  drizzling  even- 
ing—the atmosphere  redolent  of  a  gassy  odor, 
the  pavements  slippery  with  a  muddy  slime, 
the  men,  women,  and  children  who  thronged 
the  streets  wearing  on  their  brows  a  discon- 


23 


tented,  gloomy  frown,  or  a  careworn  look  that 
told  of  a  life  of  anxiety  and  toil.  Forlorn  in- 
deed was  the  first  impression  of  the  city  re- 
ceived by  the  orphans,  who  had  never  before 
been  ten  miles  from  their  quiet  village  home. 

They  mechanically  followed  Mrs.  Pettigue 
into  the  omnibus  which  was  to  take  them 
within  a  short  distance  of  her  boarding  house, 
where  they  were  to  remain  for  the  night,  and 
until  other  accommodations  could  be  found 
for  them.  Poor  little  Eva  clung  to  her  sister 
in  terror  as  the  noisy,  unwieldy  vehicle 
dashed  recklessly  through  the  crowded  streets, 
while  Lilian  feeling  all  the  utter  hopelessness 
of  first  homesickness,  almost  wished  that  some 
catastrophe  might  put  an  end  to  that  life 
which  she  imagined  had  forever  lost  all 
charms  for  her. 

The  next  morning  all  things  seemed  to 
wear  a  more  hopeful  aspect.  Lilian,  having 
wept  herself  to  sleep  the  night  before,  began 
to  feel  something  of  the  reaction  which  usu- 
ally follows  any  vielent  demonstration  of  emo- 
tion, whether  it  be  of  joy  or  grief,  and  looked 
with  growing  interest  upon  the  strange  city 
sights  to  which  her  excited  little  sister,  who 
had  taken  her  stand  at  the  window,  was  con- 
tinually calling  her  attention.  The  Bun  shone 
brightly  through  the  ragged  openings  of  the 


fast  retreating  clouds,  casting  its  cheerful 
light  over  the  scene  which  had  seemed  so 
gloomy  the  previous  evening. 

It  had  been  decided  before  they  left  B — — 
that,  if  they  could  procure  rooms,  it  would  be 
better  for  them  to  take  lodgings  in  some 
quiet,  respectable  neighborhood,  as  they 
could  in  that  way  live  more  economically, 
and  (which  was  a  great  consideration  with 
good  Mrs.  Smith)  in  greater  seclusion  than  at 
some  third  or  fourth-rate  boarding  house, 
which  would  be  the  best  that  their  means 
could  provide.  Accordingly,  on  this,  the 
first  morning  after  their  arrival,  Mrs.  Petti- 
gue  told  Lilian  that  she  should  not  expect 
her  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  her  new  call- 
ing until  the  following  day,  but  would  send 
to  her  one  of  the  girls  in  her  employ,  whose 
mother  sometimes  had  furnished  rooms  to  let, 
as  she  thought  there  could  be  some  arrange^ 
ment  made  for  their  accommodation  there. 

Ellen  Havens,  for  whose  visit  Lilian  was 
thus  prepared,  was  a  lively,  thoughtless  girl, 
naturally  kind  hearted,  but  as  she  was  gov- 
erned entirely  by  impulse,  her  quickly  formed 
friendships  were  not  of  a  very  abiding  char- 
acter. She  was  charmed  by  the  beauty  of 
her  new  acquaintance,  and  touched  by  her 
air  of  sadness.  Little  Eva  she  pronounced  a 


most  bewitching  little  fairy,  and  almost  de- 
voured the  astonished  child  with  kisses,  while 
she  enumerated  the  advantages  of  her  moth- 
er's rooms,  and  expatiated  on  the  happiness 
in  store  for  them  all  when  they  should  form 
one  household,  though  she  added,  with  a 
shrug  of  the  shoulders,  that  Mrs.  Pettigue's 
evil  temper  was  a  sad  drawback  to  the  fe- 
licity of  any  unfortunate  mortal  who  was 
placed  in  her  power. 

Lilian  listened  almost  in  silence,  as  they 
walked  toward  Mrs.  Havens's,  to  Ellen's 
graphic  description  of  the  "  scenes "  which 
were  sometimes  enacted  in  Mrs.  Pettigue's 
work  rooms.  Her  heart  failed  her  as  she 
heard  this  evidence  in  confirmation  of  her 
own  preconceived  opinion  of  her  employer, 
which,  under  the  influence  of  the  cheerful 
sunlight,  she  had  begun  to  hope  was  unjust. 

The  mother  of  Ellen  was  a  fretful,  care- 
worn looking  woman,  a  decided  contrast  to 
her  sprightly  daughter.  She  had  seen  better 
days,  and  never  ceased  to  lament  her  changed 
fortunes.  Her  clouded  brow  and  complain- 
ing voice  raised  a  perpetual  protest  against 
the  hard  fate  which  had  banished  her  from  a 
life  of  ease  and  comfort  to  one  of  toil  and 
privation ;  but  though  she  mourned  for  the 
past,  she  did  not  fail  to  do  what  she  could  to 
2 


26  "  KEEP   A   GOOD   HEAUT." 

supply  the  necessities  of  the  present.  When, 
by  her  husband's  death,  she  was  left  with 
three  little  children  to  provide  for,  and  found 
that,  after  the  estate  was  settled,  the  only 
property  remaining  to  her  was  the  house  and 
furniture,  she  decided  to  take  boarders,  as  the 
sole  means  open  to  her  by  which  she  could 
support  the  family. 

For  a  time  she  succeeded  very  well,  but 
in  a  few  years  the  neighborhood  was  so 
changed  by  the  encroachments  of  business, 
that  she  found  it  difficult  to  procure  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  boarders  of  a  class  that  she 
was  willing  to  receive.  Accordingly  she  was 
induced  to  rent  some  of  her  rooms  to  one  or 
two  respectable  families,  whose  means  would 
not  allow  them  either  to  board  or  to  occupy 
a  whole  house  by  themselves. 

Poor  Mrs.  Havens  had  many  trials,  but 
the  bitterest  of  all  was  that,  in  spite  of  her 
exertions,  she  could  not  save  her  children 
from  rough  contact  with  the  world.  It  was  a 
sad  day  to  her  when  she  gave  her  reluctant 
consent  that  Ellen,  her  eldest  daughter, 
should  accept  an  offered  situation  at  Mrs. 
Pettigue's ;  but  long  and  expensive  illness 
had  not  only  exhausted  her  slender  purse, 
but  added  debt  to  their  other  perplexities. 
It  was  necessary  something  should  be  done, 


27 


and  Ellen,  with  her  usual  impulsiveness,  was 
eager  to  try  her  hand  at  making  the  beautiful 
things  which  so  charmed  her  in  the  milliner's 
windows. 

She  had  been  in  the  employ  of  Mrs.  Pet- 
tigue  for  nearly  a  year  when  Lilian  made  her 
acquaintance,  and  had  long  since  discovered 
that  the  lot  she  had  chosen  was  a  hard  one. 
Many  a  time  did  she  look  with  envy  upon 
the  fair  purchaser  of  some  "love  of  a  bon- 
net "  which  she  herself  had  helped  to  form. 
Ah  !  she  knew  not  that  the  costliest  lace  and 
flowers  might  shade  a  brow  throbbing  with 
an  anguish  deeper  than  any  she  had  yet  fath- 
omed, or  perhaps  she  would  have  murmured 
less. 

It  was  soon  arranged  that  Lilian  and  little 
Eva  should  become  the  occupants  of  Mrs. 
Havens's  vacant  apartments — a  third-story 
back  room  of  moderate  size,  with  a  smaller 
one  opening  from  it,  which  would  do  very 
well  for  a  bedroom ;  the  larger  one  was  to 
serve  as  parlor  and  dining  room  all  in  one. 
A  kitchen  Lilian  said  they  could  very  well 
dispense  with,  for  she  must  be  "  maid  of  all 
work,"  and  would  certainly  have  no  time  to 
cook. 

Both  rooms  were  furnished  neatly,  though 
plainly,  and  when  the  windows  were  draped 


28 


with  the  pretty  chintz  curtains  which  Mrs. 
Smith  had  insisted  Lilian  should  take,  because 
they  had  been  her  mother's,  they  had  quite  a 
cosy  appearance. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  Mrs.  Ha- 
vens, who  felt  quite  an  interest  in  the  young 
orphans,  offered  to  go  out  with  them  if  there 
were  any  purchases  they  wished  to  make. 
Lilian  gladly  accepted  the  offer.  The  remains 
of  the  lunch  which  Mrs.  Smith  had  prepared 
for  them  the  day  before  .served  very  well  in 
place  of  dinner,  but  it  was  necessary  she 
should  buy  something  for  supper,  and  she 
was  almost  afraid  to  venture  into  the 
crowded  streets  alone. 

Their  first  visit  was  to  a  china  store, 
which,  though  a  very  unpretending  establish- 
ment for  the  city,  filled  our  little  country-bred 
Eva  with  admiration.  While  her  sister,  with 
the  advice  and  assistance  of  Mrs.  Havens,  was 
selecting  the  few  cups  and  plates  which  were 
absolutely  necessary  for  their  use,  she  strayed 
off  by  herself,  gazing  in  unutterable  delight 
upon  the  beautiful  objects  which  surrounded 
her.  She  fancied  that  she  was  in  Fairyland, 
and  that  the  bright  flakes  of  prismatic  light, 
which  fell  upon  her  from  a  large  cut-glass 
vase  in  the  window,  were  real,  tangible  jewels 
with  which  the  fairies  were  decking  her.  She 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEABT."  29 

stooped  to  let  the  bright  shower  fall  on  her 
golden  curls,  and  bared  one  white,  plump  arm 
to  see  how  the  quivering  gems  would  become 
it,  But  suddenly  she  forgot  her  fantastic 
play,  for  her  roving  eye  chanced  to  rest  on  a 
little  Parian  figure,  more  beautiful  than  any- 
thing even  her  beauty-loving  little  heart  had 
ever  dreamed  of.  It  represented  a  child 
standing  on  the  sea  beach.  On  one  side 
loomed  up  a  barren  rock,  on  the  other  the 
foam-crested  waves  dashed  even  to  her  feet, 
while  her  garments  and  hair  were  wildly 
tossed  by  the  tempest.  Her  dimpled  hands 
pressed  a  cross  tightly  to  her  breast,  and  the 
upturned  face  wore  an  expression  of  sweet, 
calm  trust,  in  striking  and  beautiful  contrast 
to  the  marks  of  violence  and  desolation  which 
the  other  portions  of  the  work  evinced.  On 
the  brow  rested  one  of  the  rainbow-hued  rays 
with  which  little  Eva  had  been  toying. 

The  child  gazed  in  silent  rapture,  while 
her  bosom  heaved  and  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears  whose  source  she  could  not  have  told. 
Presently  she  drew  nearer,  and,  mounting  a 
high  stool  that  stood  by  the  shelf  on  which 
rested  this  creation  of  an  art  which  seems  al- 
most divine,  she  pressed  her  full,  warm  lips 
on  the  still,  calm  brow  of  the  image,  murmur- 
ing to  herself  low  and  lovingly,  "  Beautiful, 
beautiful !  " 


30 


u  Here,  little  girl !  hands  off !  "  exclaimed 
a  rough  voice.  At  the  same  time  she  was 
lifted,  not  very  gently,  from  her  seat  and 
placed  upon  the  floor.  Terrified  and  abashed, 
she  cast  one  timid  glance  at  the  frowning 
face  of  her  reprover,  and  then  looked  wildly 
around  for  Lilian.  Just  then  a  hand  was  laid 
protectingly  on  her  head,  and,  raising  her 
tearful  eyes,  she  perceived  a  gentleman  with 
a  kind,  benevolent  face  bending  over  her,  and 
saying  to  the  angry  shopman  : 

"  Let  the  little  one  look,  if  it  gives  her 
pleasure.  I  will  see  that  she  injures  nothing." 

The  nervous  proprietor  of  fragile  mer- 
chandise bowed  deferentially,  and,  hastening 
away  to  attend  a  customer,  left  the  field  to 
Eva  and  her  champion. 

The  gentleman  placed  her  again  on  the 
seat  from  which  she  had  been  so  unceremoni- 
ously deposed,  and  with  kind  and  gentle 
words  soon  succeeded  in  dispelling  the  cloud 
which  had  momentarily  cast  its  .shadow  over 
her  bright  brow. 

"  So  you  admire  this  little  marble  girl,  do 
you,  Eva  ?  "  asked  her  new  friend,  placing  his 
hand  on  the  figure,  upon  which  her  eyes  had 
been  fixed  while  she  answered  the  questions 
he  had  put  regarding  her  name  and  home. 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  his  face,  and  replied 


31 


earnestly,  "  I  love  it,  oh  !  so  dearly  !  I  never 
saw  anything  so  beautiful  before.  I  shall 
never,  never  forget  it ; "  and  again  the  little 
enthusiast  bent  down  and  kissed  the  "  thing 
of  beauty,"  the  very  remembrance  of  which 
would  be  to  her  "  a  joy  forever." 

The  gentleman  smiled  with  an  expression 
half  amused,  half  sad  ;  then,  taking  the  child's 
little  hand  in  his,  he  continued,  u  Has  she  no 
message  for  you,  Eva  ?  " 

She  looked  up  at  first  with  a  puzzled  air, 
then  her  lips  half  parted,  but  she  made  no 
reply. 

"  Tell  me,  my  child,  do  you  know  what 
this  figure  represents  ? "  he  repeated. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Eva.  "  It  is  a  little  girl 
on  the  sea  shore.  The  great  high  rock  will 
not  let  her  go  that  way,  and  here  the  sea  is 
sending  its  waves  dashing  against  her.  The 
bright  sky  is  all  covered  up  with  wild,  black 
clouds  ;  the  lightning  flashes  as  if  the  heavens 
were  on  fire,  and  the  thunder,  the  sea,  and  the 
wind  fill  the  whole  air  with  dreadful  noise —  " 

u  Wait,  my  child,"  interrupted  the  gentle- 
man with  a  smile,  "  How  do  you  know  all 
this  ?  Here  we  have  the  little  girl,  and  the 
rock,  and  the  waves,  to  be  sure,  but  why  do 
you  think  that  there  are  clouds  hanging 
above,  and  storms  raging  around  her  ?  " 


32 


"  I  can  tell  there  is  a  storm,  because,  see 
how  her  hair  and  her  dress  are  tossed  by  the 
wind  ;  and  I  know  how  dreadful  it  is,  for  I 
was  on  the  beach  in  a  thunder  storm  once 
with  mamma.  Oh,  it  was  awful ;  I  was  so 
frightened  that  I  screamed  and  cried.  But 
this  little  girl  is  better  than  I — she  remembers 
who  made  the  sea  and  the  rocks,  who  guides 
the  clouds  and  the  lightning — she  hears  sweet 
music  in  the  sound  of  the  thunder  and  the 
roaring  of  the  waves,  for  God  is  speaking  to 
her." 

The  little  hands  which  had  been  moving 
in  nervous  gestures,  dropped  passively  in  her 
lap,  and  the  flushed  face,  quivering  with  ex- 
citement, was  reverently  bowed  as  the  child 
ceased  speaking.  Her  companion  looked  at 
her  in  amazement.  Was  this  the  same  child 
that  he  had  watched  but  a  moment  ago  play- 
ing with  a  sunbeam,  now  translating  so  elo- 
quently the  beautiful  hieroglyph  which  he 
had  thought  far  beyond  her  comprehension? 
.He  laid  his  hand  on  her  head,  and  smoothing " 
back  her  curls,  said  in  a  low,  grave  voice  : 

"  Little  Eva,  listen  to  the  lesson  which 
this  image  of  Faith  should  teach  you.  When 
distress  surrounds  you,  and  dangers  threaten, 
you  must  not,  as  you  did  at  the  sea  beach, 
give  way  to  helpless  terror,  but,  like  her,  look 


S3 


upward  and  see  a  Father's  hand  beckoning 
through  the  tempest.  The  path  of  life  lies 
through  many  a  rocky  pass,  but  do 'not  fear  ; 
though  the  chilling  waves  of  sorrow  and 
trouble  dash  over  you,  have  faith  in  God ; 
know  that  He  doeth  all  things  well." 

He  had  spoken  as  if  forgetful  how  young 
a  child  was  his  auditor,  and  to  many  of  her 
age  his  words  might  have  been  unintelligible ; 
but  there  was  a  thoughtful  little  brain  under 
those  golden  ringlets,  and  not  only  did  she 
understand  the  words  of  the  stranger,  but  her 
young  heart  thrilled  with  the  new  thoughts 
and  resolves  which  they  awakened.  She  had 
been  taught  to  believe  that  God  was  ever 
near,  watching  all  her  actions  and  guiding  all 
her  ways,  but  never  before  had  she  so  realized 
it,  and  she  rejoiced  in  the  thought  that  she 
could  hear  and  follow  her  Heavenly  Father's 
call,  even  though  it  must  be  through  the  tem- 
pest. 

She  looked  up,  and  replied  slowly  and 
earnestly,  "  I  don't  think  I  shall  ever  be 
afraid  of  anything  in  the  wide  world  again." 

The  gentleman  smiled  somewhat  sadly ; 
she  saw  it,  and  her  lips  .parted  as  if  to  speak, 
but  just  then  her  sister  called  her.  Turning 
to  "  little  Faith,"  she  bestowed  a  caress  in 
which  was  mingled  fondness  and  a  feeling 
2* 


34: 


akin  to  reverence.  Then  demurely  giving  her 
hand  to  her  new  friend,  she  slid  from  the  ele- 
vated seat,  arid  the  next  moment  was  with 
Lilian  and  Mrs.  Havens,  once  more  in  the 
street.  The  new  sights  and  sounds  by  which 
she  was  surrounded,  drove  the  incident  in  the 
china  store  from  her  thoughts  for  the  time 
being,  and  she  enjoyed  vastly  the  dignity  and 
responsibility  of  carrying  the  basket,  in  which 
were  deposited,  as  they  were  purchased,  the 
simple  viands  that  were  to  constitute  their 
supper,  and  breakfast  for  the  next  morning. 

When  they  reached  home,  she  was  so 
tired  with  the  long  walk  and  excitement,  that 
she  was  quite  content  to  sit  on  a  low  seat  by 
the  fire  with  her  doll  in  her  arms,  and  watch 
her  sister  as  she  placed  the  little  tea  kettle  on 
the  stove,  and  spread  on  the  table  the  snowy 
damask,  which,  as  well  as  the  curtains,  had 
been  their  mother's.  But  when  Lilian  un- 
rolled the  spoons  marked  with  that  mother's 
name,  and  placed  them  on  the  table,  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears  as  she  contrasted  the  happy 
past,  of  which  they  were  mementoes,  with  the 
lonely,  cheerless  present.  She  turned  away  to 
hide  her  grief  from  little  Eva  ;  but  the  child's 
quick  ear  caught  the  half  audible  sigh,  and 
stealing  to  her  side,  she  whispered,  "  Don't 
feel  bad — don't  cry,  Lilian." 


LILIAN  IN  HEK  NEW  HOME. 


"  KEEP   A   GOOD   HEART."  35 

Yet  when  her  eye  fell  upon  the  simple 
household  treasures  of  the  old  homestead,  the 
chilling  feeling  of  loneliness  and  homesickness 
crept  over  her  heart  too.  For  one  moment 
she  struggled  with  the  fast-rising  tears,  and 
then,  kneeling  by  her  sister's  side,  she  sobbed 
as  if  her  heart  would  lo*eak. 

Lilian  raised  her  to  her  lap,  and  locked  in 
each  other's  arms,  the  orphans  wept.  Lilian 
was  the  first  to  recover  herself;  hastily  brush- 
ing away  her  tears,  she  exclaimed  : 

"  There,  darling !  I  have  spoiled  all  your 
pleasant  day  with  my  selfish  tears.  Come, 
birdie,  dry  your  eyes,  and  we  will  try  to  talk 
of  something  cheerful." 

The  child  was  soon  comforted,  but  in  a 
moment  she  turned  to  her  sister  and  asked : 

u  It  isn't  wicked  to  cry,  is  it,  Lilian  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,  little  sister.  Why  do  you  ask 
such  a  question  ?  " 

"  Because  I  thought  once  to-day  that  it 
would  be,  and  that  I  should  never  cry  again ; 
but  being  sorry  isn't  like  being  afraid  to  trust 
God,  is  it  ?  " 

Lilian  shook  her  head — she  could  not  trust 
her  voice  to  reply. 

"  No,  it  can't  be  wrong,  Lillie,"  continued 
the  child,  "  for  if  we  were  never  sorry  for 
anything,  how  could  we  tell  whether  we 


86  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

trusted  Him  or  not?  If  we  hadn't  any 
trouble  we  couldn't  be  like  little  Faith,  could 
we?" 

"Who  is  little  Faith,  Eva? "  asked  Lilian, 
somewhat  puzzled.  And  the  little  girl  was 
soon  giving  an  animated  description  of  the 
beautiful  figure,  and  the  kind  gentleman  she 
had  seen  at  the  china  store.  While  she  was 
yet  talking,  there  came  a  rap  at  the  door. 
Eva  sprang  to  open  it,  admitting  a  boy  with 
a  huge  basket  containing  the  dishes  which 
Lilian  had  purchased,  and  for  which  they 
were  waiting  supper. 

Eva  was  delighted,  and  her  sister  looked 
on  with  some  satisfaction  as  the  boy  placed 
one  article  after  another  carefully  on  the  car- 
pet. At  last  he  handed  out  a  pretty  painted 
mug,  and  the  number  was  complete.  Eva 
thought  it  very  beautiful,  and  when  she  saw 
the  words  "  For  my  little  sister,"  written  in 
gilt  letters  within  the  delicate  rose  wreath, 
she  knew  it  was  for  her,  and  bounding  to  her 
sister's  side,  she  almost  smothered  her  with 
kisses. 

The  errand  boy  stood  looking  on  with  a 
good-natured  grin,  then,  again  turning  to  his 
basket,  he  produced  something  carefully 
wrapped  up ;  removing  the  wrappings  he 
placed  on  the  table — what  do  you  think? 


Eva  could  hardly  believe  her  eyes,  but  it  was 
"  beautiful  little  Faith." 

"  There  is  some  mistake,"  Lilian  said  to 
the  boy ;  "  this  does  not  belong  here." 

"  I  guess  it  does — leastwise,  boss  told  me 
to  leave  it  here  'long  with  them  things,"  and 
with  an  awkward  bow,  he  disappeared  down 
the  stairs. 

Eva's  delight  and  amazement  kept  her 
silent,  till  Lilian,  bent  upon  solving  the  mys- 
tery, discovered  a  card  attached  to  the  figure, 
on  which  was  written,  "  For  little  Eva,  from 
one  who  has  walked  far  in  the  stony  path, 
and  knows  that  Faith  can  make  bright  the 
darkest  days." 

"  Why,  birdie,"  she  exclaimed,  "  this  must 
be  from  your  new  friend." 

"  Is  it  really  for  me,  sister,  and  did  the 
kind  gentleman  send  it  to  me  ?  " 

"It  is  certainly  for  you,  for  here  is  your 
name,  and  I  know  of  no  one  who  could  have 
sent  it  but  the  kind  gentleman,  as  you  call 
him." 

The  child  sat  for  some  moments  gazing 
upon  her  treasure,  too  full  of  happiness  for 
words,  then  throwing  her  arms  around  it,  she 
exclaimed,  "  Oh !  Lilian,  arn't  you  glad  that 
dear,  beautiful  Faith  has  come  to  live  with 
us?" 

Lilian  answered  her  with  a  kiss,  but  it 


38 

was  long  ere  the  artless  question  left  her 
thoughts.  It  would  ever  return  linked  with 
the  words  which  the  friendly  stranger's  hand 
had  written  on  the  card.  Was  it  true  that 
faith  could  brighten  earthly  sorrows  ?  If  she 
received  the  heavenly  guest  into  her  heart  as 
gladly  and  lovingly  as  her  little  sister  received 
the  image,  would  her  trials  seem  lighter  ? 

The  little  room  had  a  very  cheerful  look 
when  the  curtains  were  drawn,  the  gas  lighted, 
and  the  table  set  with  the  pretty  new  dishes. 
Then  Lilian  cut  the  baker's  loaf  (which  Eva 
declared  was  no  larger  than  one  of  Aunty 
Smith's  biscuits),  and  made  some  nice  brown 
toast,  while  Eva,  anxious  to  be  useful,  placed 
on  the  table  the  chipped  beef  and  little  cakes 
which  had  formed  part  of  the  contents  of  the 
basket  which  she  had  been  so  proud  to  carry ; 
then  the  tea  sent  forth  its  fragrant  aroma,  as 
Lilian  poured  it  into  the  graceful  little  tea- 
pot, and  the  orphans  sat  down  to  the  first 
meal  of  their  own  preparing. 

Eva  was  in  high  spirits — she  could  hardly 
drink  her  tea  for  looking  at  the  roses  on  the 
mug,  and  she  had  so  much  to  say  about  the 
kind  stranger  and  his  beautiful  gift,  that  she 
almost  forgot  to  eat  her  cake.  Lilian  could 
not  but  catch  some  of  the  spirit  of  gladness 
that  glanced  from  her  little  sister's  bright 
eyes.  They  had  quite  a  merry  time  of  it, 


39 


washing  the  dishes  and  arranging  them  in  the 
closet,  and  on  the  whole,  the  evening  passed 
away  much  more  pleasantly  than  she  would 
have  believed  it  possible  that  her  first  evening 
in  the  city  could  have  done.  At  last,  little 
Eva  began  to  show  unmistakable  symptoms 
of  having  sat  up  beyond  her  usual  bedtime. 
Her  merry  prattle  was  hushed,  and  the 
fringed  curtains  would  fall  over  her  blue 
eyes,  in  spite  of  all  her  efforts.  When  she 
was  undressed,  and  stood  in  her  long  white 
night  dress  beside  her  sister,  who  was  wait- 
ing to  hear  her  repeat  her  evening  prayer, 
she  said,  in  a  low  sweet  voice  : 

"  Lillie,  may  I  ask  God  to  bless  the  good 
gentleman  who  sent  sweet  little  Faith  ?  "  and 
the  orphaned  child,  kneeling  for  the  first  time 
in  her  new  home,  prayed  for  a  blessing  upon 
the  stranger  whose  kindness  had  made  her 
little  heart  so  glad. 

Eva  had  just  fallen  asleep,  when  Ellen 
Havens  came  to  the  room  with  a  message  from 
Mrs.  Pettigne,  that  she  should  expect  Lilian 
punctually  at  her  place  in  the  morning.  She 
seemed  quite  delighted  at  the  thought  of  hav- 
ing her  for  a  companion  in  her  early  walk, 
and  chatted  and  laughed  so  merrily,  that  she 
gave  her  no  time  to  indulge  the  foreboding 
thoughts  which  the  mention  of  Mrs.  Petti- 
gue's  name  aroused. 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

VEKY  early  the  next  morning  the  orphans 
were  astir.  Their  frugal  breakfast  was  soon 
despatched,  the  rooms  put  in  order,  and  they 
were  ready  to  go  on  their  separate  ways  to 
encounter  the  great  untried  world.  For  little 
Eva,  as  well  as  her  sister,  was  to  meet  strange 
faces  and  learn  new  duties. 

The  younger  children  of  Mrs.  Havens 
attended  a  public  school  not  far  distant,  and 
it  was  agreed  that  she  should  accompany 
them.  Lilian's  anxiety  about  her  was  greatly 
relieved  by  the  arrangement,  as  she  had  felt 
much  disturbed  at  the  thought  of  leaving  her 
alone  at  home,  during  the  long  hours  of  her 
daily  absence ;  and  though  the  ehild  herself 
felt  some  heart  quakings  at  the  prospect  be- 
fore her,  she  carefully  hid  her  fears  from  her 
sister,  and  talked  merrily  and  hopefully  of 
how  much  she  would  learn,  and  how  very 
good  she  would  be  at  school. 

The  breakfast  things  were  just  washed 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  41 

and  returned  to  the  closet  shelves,  when 
Ellen's  voice  was  heard  at  the  door  bidding 
Lilian  "  make  haste,  or  they  would  be  late, 
and  catch  a  lecture  from  Mrs.  Pettigue." 
Hurriedly  throwing  on  her  bonnet  and  shawl, 
she  gave  the  child  one  kiss,  and  a  last  injunc- 
tion to  be  a  good  girl,  and  then  was  gone. 

Finding  herself  alone,  Eva's  fears  returned 
with  greater  force,  and  bowing  her  head  on 
the  table,  she  burst  into  tears.  Presently, 
chancing  to  look  up,  her  eyes  fell  upon  the 
little  image  of  Faith:  instantly, -she  remem- 
bered all  the  resolutions  of  yesterday,  and 
feeling  rebuked,  she  dried  her  eyes  and 
turned  to  the  window,  hoping  to  find  some 
object  of  interest  to  divert  her  attention  from 
her  own  troubles,  and  help  her  to  keep  down 
the  rebellious  sobs. 

As  the  little  child  watched  the  gray  clouds 
slowly  dispersing  before  the  rising  sun,  her 
mind  was  busy  with  thoughts  of  Him  who 
made  them,  and  though  she  was  ignorant  of 
the  origin  of  the  clouds,  and  thought  that  the 
sun  was  really  moving,  yet  she  left  the  win- 
dow wiser  than  many  a  world-renowned 
philosopher,  for  Nature  had  repeated  the  les- 
son that  the  beautiful  work  of  Art  had  whis- 
pered, and  faith  had  taken  deeper  root  in  her 
young  heart. 


42  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAET." 

When  John  and  Jennie  Havens  came  to 
call  her  at  school  time,  they  found  her  busy 
dressing  her  doll — the  terror  was  all  gone; 
and  no  one  who  saw  her  as  she  trudged  by 
Jennie's  side,  with  her  little  dinner  basket  in 
her  hand,  would  have  dreamed  that  those 
bright  eyes  had  been  so  lately  dimmed  with 
tears. 

Of  her  two  companions  she  liked  Jennie 
best.  She  was  three  or  four  years  her  senior, 
and  quite  inclined  to  act  the  part  of  patron 
and  champion  toward  the  little  stranger.  To 
be  sure,  she  was  somewhat  selfish  and  dictato- 
rial, and  expected  her  protegee  to  be  governed 
entirely  by  her  will ;  but  then  she  would  not 
allow  any  one  else  to  tyrannize  over  her,  and 
Eva  was  for  the  present  willing  to  pay  the 
tribnte  of  obedience  to  her  whims,  in  order  to 
secure  the  protection  of  so  powerful  an  ally ; 
for  John,  a  stout  boy  of  twelve  or  thirteen, 
began  already  to  show  a  decided  inclination 
to  tease  and  annoy  the  helpless  little  girl, 
which  his  sister's  threats  and  expostulations 
alone  kept  in  check. 

When  they  reached  the  school,  she  was 
very  glad  to  find  that  his  place  of  destination 
was  in  quite  a  different  part  of  the  building 
from  hers,  and  that  the  class  to  which  she  was 
conducted  was  in  the  same  room  with  Jen- 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  43 

nie.  And  though  she  could  not  help  con- 
trasting the  frowning  brow,  and  harsh,  sharp 
voice  of  the  teacher  to  whose  care  she  was 
consigned,  with  the  mild  looks  and  sweet 
voice  of  her  sister,  who  had  until  now  been 
her  only  instructor,  still  she  felt  that,  after  all, 
going  to  a  new  school,  though  perhaps  not 
the  pleasantest  thing  in  the  world,  was  not 
quite  so  bad  as  she  had  imagined. 

Now  we  will  leave  little  Eva  perched  on 
a  high  bench,  industriously  striving  to  fix  her 
wandering  thoughts  on  the  book  before  her, 
and  will  follow  Lilian  to  her  new  field  of 
duty.  She  and  Ellen  reached  Mrs.  Pettigue's 
in  time  to  escape  the -dreaded  lecture.  In- 
deed, that  lady  was  in  less  of  a  lecturing 
mood  this  morning,  than  usual,  and  received 
them  quite  graciously. 

Ellen  went  to  her  place  in  the  workroom, 
while  Mrs.  Pettigue  herself  conducted  Lilian 
to  .the  salesrooms,  and  explained  what  would 
be  required  of  her. 

The  poor  girl  was  sadly  confused  by  the 
curious  glances  which  the  shopgirls  cas'~, 
toward  her,  and  her  embarrassment  was  not 
lessened  as  she  overheard  their  whispered  criti- 
cisms of  her  dress  and  appearance.  But  as  the 
morning  wore  away^  and  the  rooms  became 
filled  with  ladies,  all  eager  to  be  first  served, 


4:4:  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

she  found  so  much  to  do  that  she  had  no  time  to 
think  of  herself,  and  consequently  her  timidity 
soon  disappeared,  and  she  even  became  inter- 
ested in  the  busy  scene.  Mrs.  Pettigue,  though 
seemingly  forgetful  of  her,  watched  her  narrow- 
ly. It  was  well  Lilian  did  not  know  that  those 
piercing  black  eyes  were  following  her,  or  she 
would  hardly  have  won  the  golden  opinions 
which  were  silently  showered  upon  her,  both 
by  the  milliner  and  her  customers. 

The  busy  day  at  last  drew  to  a  close,  and 
Lilian  was  surprised  to  find  how  quickly  it 
had  passed,  and  how  few  trials  it  had  brought 
her.  A  brisk  walk  through  the  brilliantly 
lighted  streets,  and  she  was  once  more  at  her 
new  home.  Eva,  who  had  been  alone  ever 
since  her  return  from  school,  was  delighted  to 
see  her.  She  had  the  table  set,  and  the  ket- 
tle boiling,  and  considered  herself  quite  a 
smart  housekeeper.  Lilian  praised  her  indus- 
try, and  while  she  prepared  tea,  they  re- 
counted to  each  other  their  separate  histories 
of  the  day's  experience. 

Several  weeks  passed  by  with  their  mingled 
joys  and  sorrows.  Lilian's  homesickness  be- 
gan to  wear  away.  She  had  become  quite  a 
favorite  with  a  number  of  Mrs.  Pettigue's 
customers,  who  thought  none  could  serve 
them  so  well  as  the  young  girl,  whose  pa- 


tience  was  never  wearied  by  their  fastidious- 
ness, and  whose  exquisite  taste  and  skilful 
fingers  were  always  ready  to  suggest  improve- 
ments and  make  alterations  wherever  re- 
quired, without  regard  to  her  own  ease. 

Mrs.  Pettigue,  pleased  with  her  popu- 
larity, treated  her  with  much  more  considera- 
tion than  she  did  the  other  girls.  But  Lilian 
found  to  her  sorrow,  as  many  a  favorite  had 
found  before,  that  the  favor  of  those  in  au- 
thority brings  with  it  annoyance  and  danger 
as  well  as  benefit.  The  indulgence  which 
spared  her  many  a  harsh  word  and  unjust 
reproof  from  the  head  of  the  establishment, 
won  for  her  the  jealousy  and  dislike  of  those 
who  were  to  be  her  daily  associates.  Even 
Ellen  was  less  friendly  than  at  first.  Lilian 
noticed  the  change,  but  for  a  time  could  not 
guess  the  cause.  One  morning,  however,  she 
accidentally  overheard  a  conversation  between 
Ellen  and  one  of  the  other  girls,  from  which 
she  discovered  that  they  looked  upon  her  with 
suspicion,  on  account  of  Mrs.  Pettigue's  par- 
tiality, even  fancying  that  she  was  set  as  a 
spy  over  them. 

In  vain  she  strove  by  every  means  in  her 
power  to  do  away  their  unjust  suspicions. 
She  could  not  but  see  that  she  was  daily  be- 
coming more  and  more  an  object  of  aversion 


to  her  companions.  The  loss  of  Ellen's  friend- 
ship was  a  sore  trial.  The  wild,  merry  girl 
had  been  the  first  one  in  the  great  city  to 
speak  a  cheering  word  to  her,  and  had  treated 
her  with  kindness  and  attention.  And  Lilian, 
wilfully  blind  to  her  many  faults,  had  lavished 
upon  her  much  of  that  romantic  affection 
which  young  girls  are  so  apt  to  bestow  upon 
those  whom  their  own  imagination  has  en- 
dowed with  most  exalted  virtues,  but  who  are 
really,  perhaps,  quite  unworthy  of  their  ad- 
miration. 

Now  that  the  delusion  was  over,  she  saw 
her  mistake,  yet  could  not  but  mourn  the 
downfall  of  her  bright  ideal. 

But  much  as  she  missed  Ellen's  society, 
she  had  yet  to  learn  that  the  loss  of  her  fickle 
friend  was  not  the  worst  result  of  her  unfor- 
tunate popularity. 

Envy  and  jealousy  are  dangerous  seeds  to 
sow  in  the  human  heart ;  in  all,  the  fruit 
must  be  evil ;  in  some,  perhaps  only  a  rank 
weed,  which  exhausts  the  good  qualities  of  the 
soil  from  which  it  springs ;  in  others,  a  prickly 
nettle,  which  stings  and  torments  all  who  come 
in  contact  with  it ;  and  in  another,  the  poison- 
ous nightshade,  concealing  under  a  fair  exte- 
rior tfre  most  deadly  venom. 

So,  with  the  evil  passions  which  Mrs.  Pet- 


4:7 


tigue  had  aroused  in  the  breasts  of  her  em- 
ployees by  her  unjust  severity  to  them,  cou- 
pled with  the  marked  partiality  which  she 
showed  for  Lilian,  some  envied  what  they 
considered  her  good  fortune,  and  coveted  her 
beauty  and  grace ;  others  strove  by  petty 
annoyances  to  harass  and  provoke  her ;  but 
there  was  one  who,  without  any  outward 
show  of  dislike,  cherished  a  secret  and  bitter 
hatred  for  the  young  orphan. 

Maria  Roberts  had  been  with  Mrs.  Petti- 
gue  three  or  four  years,  and  for  a  long  time 
stood  high  in  that  lady's  good  graces  ;  but  of 
late  they  had  had  many  disagreements,  and 
about  the  time  of  Lilian's  arrival  Mrs.  Petti- 
gue  began  very  decidedly  to  withdraw  her 
favor.  Consequently,  Maria  had  looked  upon 
her  from  the  first  as  a  rival,  and  resolved  to 
watch  her  opportunity  for  revenge.  Oppor- 
tunity to  do  wrong  is  seldom  wanting  long 
for  those  who  seek  it ;  and  Maria's  evil  genius 
did  not  forsake  her  on  this  occasion,  as  we 
shall  see. 

One  morning,  when  Lilian  had  been  in 

the  city  little  more  .than  a  month,  Miss  C , 

one  of  Mrs.  Pettigue's  most  valued  customers, 
called  to  order  a  headdress,  and  to  Maria  fell 

the  task  of  waiting  on  her.  Now,  Miss  C 

was  determined  that  for  this  particular  even- 


ing  her  coiffure  should  be  decidedly  unique, 
and  withal  very  becoming. 

Maria  exerted  her  skill  to  the  utmost  to 
give  satisfaction,  but  in  vain ;  the  fastidious 
beauty  would  not  be  pleased.  This  was  too 
commonplace,  and  that  made  her  "  look  like 
a  fright."  At  last,  turning  impatiently  to 
Mrs.  Pettigue,  she  exclaimed : 

"  Do  send  that  young  girl  here  who  made 
me  that  charming  wreath  last  week.  I  am 
sure  she  can  contrive  something.  Lilian  Eoss 
I  think  her  name  is." 

Maria  was  instantly  despatched  to  sum- 
mon Lilian,  her  heart  swelling  with  indigna- 
tion, and  more  than  ever  thirsting  for  rev.enge 
upon  the  innocent  cause  of  her  annoyance. 

Lilian  obeyed,  with  a  sigh,  the  ungra- 
ciously delivered  command.  She  knew  from 
experience  the  exacting  and  capricious  tem- 
per of  the  lady  who  was  pleased  to  favor  her 
with  her  preference,  and  she  also  saw  that  she 
herself  was  in  some  way  the  object  of  the 
anger  which  was  flashing  in  the  dark  eyes  of 
her  companion  ;  but  there  was  no  time  for  ques- 
tions or  explanations,  even  if  she  could  ven- 
ture to  attempt  them.  She  w^as  soon  busied 
with  ribbons  and  lace,  striving,  in  her  turn,  to 
please  the  capricious  belle.  In  this  she  was 
more  fortunate  than  Maria  had  been,  and  in  a 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  49 

short  time  had  completed  a  headdress,  which 

even  Miss  C pronounced  perfect ;  so 

light,  so  airy  and  graceful — really  there  was 
no  fault  to  be  found  with  it. 

Lilian  was  in  the  act  of  adjusting  the  ex- 
quisite little  affair  on  the  glossy  tresses  which 
it  was  to  adorn  without  concealing,  when 
Maria,  chancing  to  pass  near  them,  observed 
the  pleased  smile  on  the  face  of  the  young 
lady,  and  the  glance  of  satisfaction  which 
Lilian  bestowed  upon  her  handiwork ;  she 
noticed,  also,  what  no  other  eye  had  detected, 
that  a  beautiful  and  costly  bracelet,  which 

Miss  C wore,  had  fallen  from  her  arm, 

and  lay  half  hidden  among  the  mass  of  flow- 
ers, ribbons,  and  lace,  which  were  scattered 
on  the  floor.  Instantly  her  resolution  was 
taken  ;  stooping  down  as  if  to  replace  the 
disarranged  goods  in  their  boxes,  she  hastily 
seized  and  secreted  the  ornament,  then  went 
on  deliberately  with  her  self-imposed  task, 
until  every  flower  was  returned  to  its  proper 
place.  Rising  with  the  boxes  on  her  arm, 
she  stepped  up  to  Lilian,  and,  while  asking 
some  trivial  question,  contrived,  unseen  by 
mortal  eye,  to  drop  the  bracelet  into  her 
pocket. 

Miss  C ,  quite  unconscious  of  her  loss, 

and  in  very  good  humor  wiih  herself  and  all 
8 


50 


the  world  beside,  was  soon  driving  rapidly 
toward  home.  Lilian,  unsuspecting  of  the 
storm  that  was  gathering  around  her,  went 
calmly  about  her  duties.  Maria  watched  her 
anxiously,  fearing  she  might  discover  the 
bracelet  before  her  own  wicked  plot  was 
fully  matured,  and,  by  her  unaffected  sur- 
prise at  the  discovery,  defeat  her  purpose. 
Many  a  hasty  glance  she  cast  toward  the  win- 
dow, hoping  to  see  Miss  C 's  carriage  re- 
turning. Nor  was  it  long  before  her  wish 

was  gratified.  Miss  C ,  having  missed 

the  bracelet  before  leaving  the  carriage,  re- 
turned immediately  to  the  milliner's,  feeling 
sure  that  it  must  be  there. 

She  told  Mrs.  Pettigue  of  her  loss,  and 
strict  search  was  made  for  the  missing  orna- 
ment, but  it  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  wore  the  bracelet  this 
morning,  Miss  C ?  "  inquired  Mrs.  Petti- 
gue at  last,  sincerely  hoping,  for  the  credit  of 
her  establishment,  that  the  cause  of  all  this 
commotion  would  be  found  safe  at  home. 

The  doubt  once  raised,  Miss  C began 

to  feel  less  certain  that  she  had  worn  it.  In- 
deed, it  now  seemed  quite  probable  that  she 
had  not.  Expressing  regret  for  the  trouble 
which  she  had  given,  she  was  about  to  leave 
the  room,  when  Maria,  who  had  taken  no 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  51 

part  in  the  search,  came  to  Mrs.  Pettigue, 
and  with  seeming  reluctance  said  : 

"  I  know  Miss  C had  the  bracelet  on 

her  arm  when  she  was  here  this  morning,  for 
I  noticed  it  particularly.  I  was  on  the  other 
side  of  the  room  when  Lilian  Ross  was  ar- 
ranging the  headdress.  As  Miss  C 

raised  her  arm,  I  thought  I  saw  the  bracelet 
fall.  Just  as  I  rose  to  go  and  pick  it  up, 
Lilian  stooped  down  and  seemed  to  take 
something  from  the  floor.  I  concluded  it 
was  the  bracelet,  and,  supposing  all  was  as  it 
should  be,  did  not  stop  to  see  if  she  returned 

it  to  Miss  C ,  but  went  on  with  my  work 

and  thought  no  more  about  it." 

This  deliberate  falsehood,  though  appar- 
ently intended  for  only  Mrs.  Pettigue's  ear, 
was  not  spoken  in  so  low  a  tone  but  that  both 

Miss  C and  Lilian  could  distinctly  hear 

every  word. 

The  flush  of  surprise  and  indignation 
which  suffused  the  fair  face  of  the  orphan 
was  readily  mistaken  for  the  blush  of  con- 
scious guilt  by  those  whose  eyes  were  so 
searchingly  bent  upon  her. 

Mrs.  Pettigue  sternly  commanded  her  to 
produce  the  bracelet,  for  that  it  was  in  her 
possession  there  seemed  but  little  doubt. 

Lilian  indignantly  denied  all  knowledge 


52  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

of  it;  but  her  changing  color  and  faltering 
voice  were  taken  as  evidence  against  her,  and 
every  attempt  that  she  made  to  defend  her- 
self from  the  cruel  charge  which  was  so  unex- 
pectedly made  against  her  only  increased  her 
trepidation  and  confirmed  the  suspicion  of  her 
guilt.  Finally,  Mrs.  Pettigue  ordered  that 
she  should  be  searched,  when,  to  her  terror 
and  amazement,  and  the  triumph  of  her  ene- 
my, the  bracelet  was  found  in  her  pocket. 
In  vain  she  declared  her  innocence  of  the 
theft,  and  her  utter  ignorance  by  what  means 
the  ornament  had  become  concealed  about 
her  person.  The  words  fell  on  ears  that  were 

deaf  to  her  pleading.     Miss  C clasped 

the  glittering  band  on  her  arm,  and,  not 
deigning  one  glance  at  the  pale,  despairing 
face  of  the  young  girl,  she  left  the  store,  fol- 
lowed to  the  door  by  Mrs.  Pettigue,  who  was 
profuse  in  her  expressions  of  regret  that  she 
should  have  met  with  so  much  annoyance, 
mingled  with  assurances  that  the  culprit 
should  be  instantly  dismissed. 

Returning,  she  summoned  Lilian  to  her 
private  room,  and,  when  her  disgraced  favor- 
ite stood  alone  before  her,  she  gave  free  vent 
to  her  wrath.  Bitter,  scornful  words  fell  on 
the  ear  of  the  orphan  ;  fresh  accusations  were 
heaped  upon  her,  but  she  heeded  them  not ; 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  53 

she  stood  still  and  rigid  as  if  turned  to  stone, 
the  labored  breath  that  parted  her  white  lips 
the  only  evidence  of  life  in  the  motionless 
figure. 

When,  Mrs.  Pettigue's  anger  having  ex- 
hausted itself,  or  rather  exhausted  her  vocab- 
ulary of  abuse,  she  placed  in.  her  hand  the 
pittance  which  was  her  due,  and  bade  her 
leave  the  house,  never  to  enter  it  again,  she 
obeyed  mechanically  ;  she  knew  but  too  well 
that  any  attempt  to  prove  her  innocence 
would  be  unavailing,  and  silently,  with  fal- 
tering steps,  she  passed  into  the  street. 

Alone,  a  stranger  in  the  great  city,  the 
work  which  brought  her  and  her  little  sister 
their  daily  bread  snatched  rudely  from  her 
hands,  bearing  the  brand  of  a  crime  of  which 
she  was  innocent,  what  wonder  that  despair 
took  possession  of  her  heart?  The  bright 
sunlight  glared  painfully  on  her  glazed  eyes  ; 
the  many  mingled  sounds  of  busy  life  grated 
harshly  on  her  ear ;  every  face  in  the  hurry- 
ing, eager  throng  seemed  to  her  excited 
imagination  to  turn  upon  her  looks  of  scorn 
and  suspicion.  She  thought  herself  forsaken 
of  heaven  and  condemned  by  earth.  With  a 
shuddering  sense  of  utter  desolation  she  hur- 
ried wildly  on,  until,  guided  more  by  instinct 
than  reason,  she  gained  her  home.  Then  her 


54: 


overtasked  strength  gave  way,  and  she  fell 
insensible  upon  the  floor. 

The  noonday  sun,  streaming  in  at  the 
window,  fell  upon  her  colorless  features, 
which  even  in  unconsciousness  wore  a  look 
of  suffering  and  dismay ;  and  the  same  bright 
rays  rested  upon  the  calm,  upturned  face  of 
"little  Faith,"  with  her  tempest-tossed  gar- 
ments. 


55 


OHAPTEE  Y. 

WHEN  Lilian  awoke  from  her  long  swoon, 
she  was  at  first  conscious  only  of  a  terrible 
throbbing  pain  in  her  temples,  and  a  burning 
thirst ;  but  suddenly  the  remembrance  of  all 
she  had  undergone  since  morning  rushed  upon 
her,  and,  starting  to  her  feet,  she  clasped  her 
hands  to  her  aching  brow,  while  with  un- 
steady tread  she  paced  the  room.  Once,  as  she 
neared  the  table,  her  eye  caught  the  little  statu- 
ette ;  she  paused,  and  with  a  short,  bitter  laugh 
exclaimed,  "  Why  was  not  I  too  formed  of 
marble  ?  then  I  might  smile  so  serenely  under 
the  lashings  of  the  storm."  But  even  while 
she  spote,  a  "  still,  small  voice "  whispered 
that  her  heart  must  be  softened,  not  hardened, 
ere  it  could  be  moulded  into  a  resemblance 
of  the  beautiful  form  before  her.  Oh  !  when 
could  she  learn  the  lesson  of  faith?  The 
Heavenly  Father  had  never  yet  forsaken  her ; 
still,  whenever  for  a  while  the  dark  clouds 
enveloped  her,  she  thought  He  had  withdrawn 


56 

His  smile.  Because  an  erring  mortal  had 
treated  her  unjustly  and  cruelly,  she  had  con- 
cluded the  world  was  filled  with  nought  but 
injustice  and  cruelty,  even  doubting  the  good- 
ness of  Him  who  marks  the  sparrow  when  it 
falls.  And  yet,  was  not  the  pretty  image  on 
which  she  gazed  the  memento  of  a  kindly, 
generous,  human  heart,  as  well  as  a  reminder 
that  He  who  rules  the  tempest  will  not  for- 
sake those  who  trust  in  Him  ? 

Slowly  the  bitter  smile  faded  from  the 
young  girl's  lips,  and  tears,  which  the  strength 
of  her  agony  had  pressed  back  upon  her  full 
heart,  fell  in  refreshing  showers  over  her 
flushed  cheek.  She  knelt  by  the  little  couch, 
and,  with  her  head  pillowed  wearily  on  her 
folded  arms,  like  a  grieved  child  at  its  moth- 
er's knee,  she  murmured  that  beautiful  prayer 
which  He  who  was  "  a  man  of  sorrows  and 
acquainted  with  grief  "  left,  a  priceless  legacy, 
to  all  the  sorrowing  children  of  earth.  Still 
kneeling,  then,  with  the  sacred  words  yet 
upon  her  lips,  Lilian  fell  asleep.  Thus  little 
Eva  found  her,  when,  nearly  two  hours  later, 
she  returned  from  school.  The  child  was  sur- 
prised that  her  sister  was  home  so  early,  and 
frightened  at  her  flushed,  tear-stained  face ; 
and,  after  making  one  or  two  attempts  to 
awake  her,  she  ran  and  called  Mrs.  Havens, 


LILIAN'S  DAEK    HOUR. 


57 

who,  in  some  alarm,  hastened  to  the  room, 
where  she  found  her  young  tenant  apparently 
suffering  from  a  high  fever.  When  aroused 
from  her  heavy  slumber,  Lilian  was  obliged 
to  admit  that  she  was  really  ill,  and,  with 
many  tears,  told  Mrs.  Havens  the  story  of  the 
lost  bracelet. 

The  good  lady  was  very  indignant  at  the 
treatment  she  had  received,  and  earnestly  as- 
sured her  of  her  entire  belief  in  her  innocence. 
This  was  a  great  comfort  to  poor  Lilian,  for 
she  had,  in  her  nervous  excitement,  imagined 
that  Mrs.  Havens  would  be  unwilling  to  har- 
bor in  her  house  one  who  had  been  accused 
of  theft,  and  unable  to  prove  the  accusation 
false.  But  she  had  misjudged  her ;  for, 
though  of  a  fretful,  complaining  disposition, 
and  too  much  engrossed  with  her  numerous 
cares  to  bestow  much  attention  on  those  with 
whom  the  world  seemed  to  be  moving  smooth- 
ly, she  had  still  a  kind  heart  and  ready  sym- 
pathy for  sorrow  and  distress.  She  had  al- 
ways liked  Lilian  and  would  not  turn  from 
her  at  the  first  whisper  of  suspicion.  In  this, 
how  different  was  the  mother,  whose  unpre- 
possessing exterior  had  at  first  made  so  unfa- 
vorable an  impression  upon  her,  from  the 
daughter,  whose  more  pleasing  manners  had 
won  her  regard ! 


58  "KEEP 

Mrs.  Havens  proved  herself  an  excellent 
nurse.  She  persuaded  Lilian  to  go  ^to  bed, 
bathed  he/  head  with  cold  water,  and  made 
her  take  a  cup  of  nice  tea  and  a  dainty  slice 
of  toast,  prepared  by  her  own  hands ;  and 
only  when  her  patient  seemed  more  com- 
posed, and  gratefully  assured  her  that  she 
was  really  much  easier,  did  she  consent  to 
leave  her  to  attend  to  her  own  pressing  du- 
ties. Evea  then  she  went  with  reluctance, 
first  charging  Eva  to  be  very  watchful  and 
attentive  to  her  sister,  and  to  be  sure  to  call 
her  if  anything  was  wanted. 

Little  Eva  had  heard  with  indignation  of 
her  sister's  wrongs,  and  now,  when  she  sat 
quietly  ensconced  in  the  large  rocking  chair 
with  her  doll  and  picture  book,  her  thoughts 
were  busy  with  plans  for  proving  Lilian's  in- 
nocence and  Maria's  guilt  (for  that  she  had  a 
hand  in  the  mystery  the  orphans  as  well  as 
Mrs.  Havens  had  no  doubt) ;  and  more  angry, 
revengeful  thoughts  crowded  her  little  heart 
than  had  found  shelter  there  in  all  her  short 
life  before.  Alas !  how  widespread  the  dis- 
astrous effects  of  sin  !  no  human  soul  ever  yet 
yielded  to  temptation  without  injury  to  others. 
Can  a  branch  fall  from  the  tree,  and ;  harm 
only  itself?  See  the  torn  leaves  and  scattered 
blossoms  of  those  that  remain  ;  and  look  how 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  59 

the  dust  which  arose  as  it  struck  the  ground 
has  soiled  the  delicate  petals  of  yonder  little 
violet. 

Maria  Eoberts  had  never  even  seen  little 
Eva,  and  yet  the  shadow  of  her  sin  darkened 
the  pure  spirit  of  the  child.  To  be  sure,  Eva's 
better  nature  soon  shook  off  the  baleful  influ- 
ence ;  but  can  such  fierce  passions  as  anger 
and  revenge  enter  the  heart  for  the  first  time 
and  leave  no  trace  behind  ? 

The  early  winter  twilight  drew  its  sable 
curtain  around  the  sickroom,  and  the  little 
one,  tired  of  her  unusual  stillness,  grew  sleepy, 
and  so,  through  force  of  habit,  bethought  her 
of  her  evening  prayer ;  but  she  was  startled 
by  a  new  difficulty.  How  could  she  pray, 
"  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive 
those  who  trespass  against  us  "  ?  Did  she  for- 
give her  unknown  enemy  as  she  would  be 
forgiven?  Should  she  leave  the  prayer  un- 
said this  one  night  ?  She  grew  afraid  of  the 
darkness  at  the  thought.  What  then — must 
she  forgive  Maria  Eoberts?  She  had  been 
planning  how  she  would  go  the  next  day  and 
accuse  her  before  the  whole  shop  of  putting 
the  bracelet  in  Lilian's  pocket,  and  how  it 
would  all  be  then  found  out,  and  Maria 
turned  away  in  disgrace  as  Lilian  had  been  • 
and  she  had  rejoiced  as  her  imagination 


60  "KEEP  A 

painted  the  scene.  Could  she  resign  the  re- 
venge that  lay  within  her  grasp  and  looked 
so  tempting  ;  or  should  she  for  the  first  time 
lay  her  head  upon  a  prayerless  pillow  ?  Not 
long  did  the  child  hesitate  between  the  good 
and  the  evil  that  lay  before  her,  but  meekly 
saying  the  prayer,  and  ceasing  to  wish  for  or 
even  think  of  revenge,  she  slept  sweetly  and 
calmly. 


61 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

THE  following  morning  Lilian  arose  free 
from  the  pain  and  feverish  excitement  which 
had  seemed  to  threaten  a  serious  illness,  but 
suffering  from  a  feeling  of  prostration  and  de- 
bility almost  as  distressing.  She  moved  list- 
lessly about  her  morning  duties,  and,when  Eva 
had  gone  to  school,  threw  herself  wearily  on 
the  lounge  and  lay  there  for  hours,  too  lan- 
guid even  to  think: 

In  the  mean  time,  little  Eva  trudged 
bravely  on  her  way  in  the  clear,  frosty  morn- 
ing. The  few  weeks  of  city  life  had  added 
much  to  her  stock  of  worldly  wisdom,  and 
she  readily  understood  that  Lilian's  loss  of 
employment  deprived  them  of  their  only 
means  of  support ;  but  she  felt  sure  that  their 
Heavenly  Father  would  in  some  way  provide 
for  them.  And  as  she  walked  briskly  toward 
school,  she  formed  many  plans  by  which  she 
might  help  her  sister  to  earn  their  bread,  all 
which  plans  seemed  to  her  very  promising, 


62 

though  in  fact  they  were  somewhat  wild  and 
impracticable.  Occasionally  a  shade  passed 
over  her  face  as  she  remembered  the  origin 
of  their  trouble ;  but  she  would  drive  the 
thought  away,  quickening  her  pace  as  if  to 
escape  a  danger. 

When  she  reached  school  she  was  almost 
afraid  to  enter  ;  it  seemed  as  if  they  must  all 
know  that  her  sister  was  accused  of  stealing, 
and  she  felt  as  if  all  eyes  would  be  upon  her. 
But  the  event  which  had  brought  distress 
upon  their  humble  home  was  all  unknown  in 
the  great  world. 

The  day  passed  by  unmarked,  except  that 
she  was  reproved  for  inattention  to  her  lessons 
oftener  than  usual. 

She  walked  home  alone  after  school,  for 
John  and  Jennie  had  found  companions  bet- 
ter suited  to  their  taste ;  and  she  was  not 
sorry  to  escape  John's  teasing  and  his  sister's 
oppressive  guardianship.  Eva  had  never  be- 
fore been  in  the  street  alone.  How  she  ex- 
ulted in  the  sense  of  independence  !  Not  one 
face  in  the  thronging  multitude  had  she  ever 
seen  before — she  was  like  a  tiny  dewdrop5 
swallowed  up  and  lost  sight  of  in  that  restless 
sea  of  humanity ;  yet  the  child  felt  no  fear. 
Her  little  foot  touched  the  pavement  with  a 
firm,  elastic  tread,  her  bright  eyes  looking  in 


63 

at  the  shop  windows  as  she  passed,  with  ad- 
miring but  not  covetous  gaze,  upon  the  beau- 
tiful things  which  the  merchants  had  spread 
out  so  temptingly.  Finally  she  paused  before 
a  window  in  which  were  displayed  ready- 
made  garments  for  ladies'  and  children's 
wear.  She  was  looking  admiringly  at  an 
elegantly  wrought  baby  dress,  when  her  eye 
•fell  upon  a  card,  on  which  was  written,  in 
large  clear  hand,  "  Wanted,  a  girl  t<5  do  fine 
sewing.  Inquire  within.  None  but  a  first- 
rate  seamstress  need  apply." 

With  some  difficulty  Eva  deciphered  the 
writing,  and  then  stood  for  some  moments  in 
deep  thought.  At  last  her  resolution  was 
formed ;  slowly  but  unhesitatingly  she  en- 
tered the  store.  Once  within  the  door,  how- 
ever, her  courage  deserted  her,  and  she  was 
quite  at  a  loss  for  words  to  express  her  wishes. 

Behind  the  counter  were  two  or  three 
girls,  one  of  whom,  seeing  her  embarrassment, 
accosted  her  with  the  inquiry  : 

"  What  will  you  have,  sissy  ?  " 

Thus  forced  to  speak,  Eva  replied  with  a 
trembling  voice : 

"  It  says  on  the  card  in  the  window  that 
you  want  some  one  to  do  fine  sewing  here, 
and — "  But  before  she  could  finish  the  sen- 
tence, her  questioner  laughingly  exclaimed : 


64  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

"  And  you  have  come  to  offer  your  ser- 
vices." Then  turning  to  her  companions,  she 
continued :  "  Only  think,  girls ;  this  young 
lady  proposes  to  fill  the  place  Mary  Davis 
left  last  week !  "  A  shout  of  laughter  fol- 
lowed this  announcement. 

Poor  little  Eva,  feeling  very  much  morti- 
fied and  somewhat  indignant,  stood  with 
flushed  cheeks  and  tearful  eyes,  wishing  her- 
self anywhere  else,  when  an  inner  door  sud- 
denly opened,  and  a  clear,  mellow  voice  de- 
.  manded  in  tones  of  surprise  to  know  the 
occasion  of  so  much  noise. 

All  were  instantly  silent,  and  when  Eva 
ventured  to  look  up,  a  tall,  rather  fleshy  lady, 
in  a  rustling  black-silk  dress  and  snowy  cap, 
stood  before  her,  listening  to  the  stammered 
apology  of  the  young  girl  whose  thoughtless 
rudeness  had  produced  the  uproar.  When 
the  latter  had  done  speaking,  the  lady  seated 
herself,  and,  drawing  Eva  to  her  side,  said 
kindly : 

"  Now,  my  little  girl,  tell  me  what  it  was 
you  wished  to  say  about  my  advertisement  ? 
I  do  not  suppose,  as  these  foolish  girls  did, 
that  you  meant  to  do  the  sewing  with  your 
own  little  fingers,  did  you  ?  " 

"  No,  ma'am,  indeed  I  did  not,"  replied 
the  child,  looking  up  into  the  benevolent  face 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  65 

which  bent  over  her ;  "  but  my  sister  sews, 
oh!  so  beautifully,  and — and  I  know  she 
would  like  to  come,  and  I  thought  perhaps 
you  would  take  her." 

"  What  makes  you  think  your  sister  would 
wish  to  come  ;  did  she  send  you  here  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  ma'am  ;  I  only  happened  to  see 
the  card  in  the  window ;  but  she  lost  her 
place  yesterday,  and  she  feels  very,  very  bad, 
because  we  don't  have  any  money,  only  what 
she  earns,"  said  little  Eva,  with  her  tearful 
eyes  fixed  pleadingly  on  the  lady's  face. 

"  But,  my  dear  child,  I  do  not  know  that 
your  sister  could  do  my  sewing.  I  am  very 
particular  about  it,  and  must  see  a  sample  of 
her  work  before  I  can  decide.  If  she  really 
wishes  the  employment,  perhaps  she  will  come 
early  to-morrow  morning  and  bring  some  ar- 
ticle that  she  has  made." 

"  She  made  the  apron  I  have  on ;  I  can 
show  you  that  now,"  exclaimed  the  child ; 
and,  suiting  the  action  tq  the  words,  she  laid 
down  her  books  and  began  hastily  to  unfasten 
her  coat.  The  lady  smiled,  and  there  was  a 
suppressed  titter  from  behind  the  counter. 
Eva  heeded  it  not ;  her  outer  garment  was 
thrown  aside,  and  the  little  apron  triumph- 
antly displayed.  It  was  a  simple  gingham 
apron,  but  neatly  and  tastefully  made. 


66 

Her  new  friend  examined  it  critically,  and 
then,  turning  to  the  eager,  expectant  child 
with  an  approving  smile,  she  said,  "  I  should 
like  to  see  your  sister.  Tell  her  to  come  here 
in  the  morning,  and,  if  she  wishes  the  place, 
I  think  we  can  make  an  agreement." 

Then,  inquiring  her  own  and  her  sister's 
name,  she  dismissed  the  happy  child  with  a 
kiss. 

There  was  no  more  stopping  to  look  in  at 
windows ;  even  the  great  toyshop  on  the 
corner  had  no  charm  for  Eva  now.  She  al- 
most flew  on  her  way,  and  yet  it  seemed  to 
her  that  she  never  moved  so  slowly,  so  impa- 
tient was  she  to  reach  home  and  tell  Lilian 
the  good  news. 

Lilian  in  the  mean  time  was  anxiously 
watching  for  the  little  adventurer.  Jennie 
had  returned  at  the  usual  time.  She  rather 
reluctantly  admitted  that  she  had  left  Eva  to 
come  alone,  and  Lilian,  imagining  some  harm 
must  have  happened  to  her,  as  she  was  so 
long  on  the  way,  was  on  the  point  of  going 
out  to  seek  her,  when  the  little  girl  bounded 
into  the  room,  her  cheeks  flushed  with  exer- 
cise, and  her  eyes  sparkling  with  excitement. 

"  Oh,  sister  Lillie  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  I 
have  found  the  nicest  lady  in  the  world ;  and 
she  wants  you  to  come  and  make  the  most 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  67 

beautiful  little  dresses  and  things  that  ever 
you  saw  ;  and  she  thinks  my  apron — " 

"  Eva,  Eva !  what  are  you  talking  about  ? " 
interrupted  Lilian  in  bewilderment.  "  Where 
was  the  lady?  what  is  it  about  'beautiful 
little  dresses,'  and  what  has  your  apron  to  do 
with  it  all?  Sit  down  here  in  your  little 
chair,  and  talk  more  quietly,  if  you  wish  me 
to  understand  you."  Thus  checked,  the  child 
paused  a  moment  to  mentally  untwist  the 
tangled  thread  of  her  story,  and  then  more 
coherently  told  of  her  exploit. 

Lilian  listened  with  surprise  until  she  had 
finished  the  story ;  then,  catching  her  in  her 
arms,  declared  she  was  the  oddest  little  crea- 
ture in  the  wide  world,  and  questioned  and 
cross-questioned  her  about  the  whole  affair, 
and  laughed  at  her  having  shown  her  apron. 
Whereupon  Eva  laughed  too,  and  clapped 
her  hands  gleefully — not  that  she  could  per- 
ceive anything  very  amusing  in  her  way  of 
doing  business,  but  she  was  delighted  to  see 
her  sister  cheerful  once  more.  Then  she 
made  her  promise  that  she  would  go  with  her 
the  next  morning  and  see  the  lady. 

By  the  time  all  was  arranged  to  her  satis- 
faction, it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  Eva  dis- 
covered it  was  almost  tea  time,  and  that  she 
was  very  hungry.  Away  she  sprang  to  set 


68  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

the  table,  while  Lilian  prepared  their  simple 
meal.  The  child  went  about  her  task  singing 
softly  to  herself,  and  as  she  passed  and  re- 
passed  before  the  stand  on  which  was  the 
image  of  Faith,  the  light  cast  a  flickering 
shade  on  the  face  of  the  fignre,  and  it  seemed 
to  her  that  "  little  Faith  "  was  smiling  npon 
her. 

An  hour  or  two  later,  Mrs.  Havens  and 
Lilian  stood  beside  the  bed,  looking  down 
upon  the  sleeping  child.  Lilian  had  been  tell- 
ing of  her  little  sister's  adventure,  and  asking 
advice. 

Mrs.  Havens  assured  her  she  would  do 
well  to  obtain  the  place  if  possible,  for  that 
the  establishment  had  an  excellent  reputation. 
She  was  filled  with  admiration  for  little  Eva, 
who  had  so  soon  found  a  way  of  escape  from 
their  difficulties,  and  now,  as  she  looked  upon 
the  little  sleeper,  she  raised  her  handkerchief 
to  her  eyes,  with  the  whispered  exclamation, 
"  Dear  child,  dear  child !  only  to  think,  it 
was  the  very  first  time  she  was  ever  in  the 
street  alone !  Poor  little  thing,  the  cares  of 
life  have  come  upon  her  early."  Ah !  if  good 
Mrs.  Havens  could  have  known  what  rosy 
dreams  were  floating  about  under  those 
golden  curls,  she  might  have  spared  her  tears 
and- sympathy. 


69 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

THE  next  morning  being  Saturday,  there 
was  no  school,  and  Eva  was  to  go  and  intro- 
duce Lilian  to  her  new  acquaintance.  She 
was  so  excited  as  to  be  hardly  able  to  eat  her 
breakfast,  and  watched  anxiously  the  sus- 
picious-looking clouds  which  were  drifting 
about  in  the  wintry  sky,  for  she  had  heard 
Mrs.  Havens  say  to  her  sister,  as  she  passed 
her  in  the  hall,  that  she  must  not  venture  out 
if  it  stormed,  as  she  was  still  far  from  well. 
But  at  last  the  sun  shone  out  brightly.  The 
rooms  were  put  in  the  most  perfect  order,  the 
last  particle  of  dust  wiped  from  the  last  chair, 
and  Lilian  having  no  longer  any  good  excuse 
for  delay,  prepared  herself  and  her  little  sister 
for  their  walk. 

With  very  different  feelings  the  orphans 
set  out.  Lilian  dreaded  to  come  again  in 
contact  with  strangers  ;  besides,  she  had  some 
doubts  as  to  the  wisdom  of  following  the  guid- 
ance of  such  a  child  as  Eva.  Perhaps  she  had 


70 

misunderstood  the  lady,  or  it  might  all  have 
been  intended  as  a  joke  upon  the  little  girl, 
and  she  feared  she  might  make  herself  appear 
ridiculous  if  she  took  it  seriously.  Not  so 
Eva ;  with  the  quick  perception  of  childhood, 
she  had  read  in  the  clear  gray  eyes  and  be- 
nevolent smile  of  her  new  friend  sincerity  of 
purpose  and  kindness  of  heart.  And  she 
bounded  gladly  onward,  scarce  able  to  make 
her  impatient  feet  keep  pace  with  her  sister's 
slow  step. 

When  they  reached  the  store,  what  little 
courage  Lilian  had  entirely  forsook  her.  She 
would  willingly  have  turned  back,  but  before 
she  could  prevent  it,  Eva  had  entered  the 
door,  and  she  had  no  alternative  but  to  fol- 
low. 

One  of  the  girls  who  had  been  so  much 
amused  at  poor  little  Eva  the  day  before,  im- 
mediately ushered  them  into  a  small  back 
room,  where  Mrs.  Benton  (for  such  was  the 
name  of  Eva's  friend)  was  ready  to  receive 
them.  Her  welcome  was  so  kind,  that  Lilian 
lost  in  some  measure  the  painful  timidity  with 
which  she  had  entered,  and  was  able  to  an- 
swer clearly  and  unhesitatingly  the  questions 
which  were  asked  her. 

Mrs.  Benton  examined  and  praised  the 
work  she  had  brought  as  a  sample  of  her  finest 


71 

sewing,  and  assured  her  she  should  be  very 
glad  to  give  her  employment,  offering  (much 
to  Lilian's  surprise,)  higher  wages  than  Mrs. 
Pettigue  had  given.  She  gladly  accepted  the 
offer,  and  it  was  agreed  that  she  should  enter 
Mrs.  Benton's  service  on  Monday  morning. 

With  a  lighter  heart  than  she  had  known 
for  days,  the  young  girl  turned  her  steps 
homeward.  Eva  skipped  lightly  at  her  side, 
and  was  continually  calling  attention  to  the 
wonderful  sights  which  surrounded  them. 
The  newly  fallen  snow  gleamed  pure  and 
white  in  the  bright  sunlight.  Sleighs  of 
every  graceful  and  fantastic  form,  with  gay 
trappings  and  merry  bells,  chased  each  other 
through  the  streets,  and  the  glad  voices  of  the 
riders  rang  blithely  out  above  the  city's  busy 
hum.  The  world  looked  bright  and  beautiful. 
She  forgot  her  own  wrongs  and  sorrows  in 
sympathy  with  the  seemingly  universal  joy- 
ousness.  The  clear  frosty  air  gave  new  life 
to  her  languid  frame,  and  brought  a  health- 
ful glow  to  her  pale  cheek.  The  dark  clouds 
of  despondency  and  dread  had  for  the  time 
rolled  away,  and  her  whole  being  revived  in 
the  sunshine  of  hope. 

Monday  morning  found  Lilian  early  at 
her  post.  Mrs.  Benton,  welcoming  her  with 
a  kind  word  and  encouraging  smile,  led  hei 


72  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

to  a  large  cheerful  room  above  the  store, 
where  several  girls  were  already  gathered 
around  the  fire,  talking  in  subdued  tones. 
At  a  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room  stood  a 
middle-aged  woman  busy  cutting  out  and 
assorting  work.  There  was  something  so 
peculiar  in  the  appearance  and  manner  of 
this  latter  person,  that  Lilian's  attention  was 
instantly  attracted  to  her.  She  was  rather 
below  the  medium  height,  and  somewhat 
spare  in  person.  Her  hair,  originally  of  a 
pale  brown,  was  rendered  still  lighter  by  the 
many  silver  threads  that  time  had  added,  till 
it  was  scarcely  darker  than  the  sallow  brow 
above  which  it  was  so  smoothly  parted  ;  the 
nose,  much  too  large  for  the  rest  of  the  face, 
had  an  appearance  of  having  been  broken ; 
her  small,  light  blue  eyes  were  fixed  intently 
on  the  work  before  her ;  her  fingers  flew  with 
the  rapidity  and  almost  the  precision  of  ma- 
chinery, while  she  sang,  absent-mindedly, 
snatches  of  old  songs,  in  a  low,  but  singularly 
sweet  voice. 

Mrs.  Benton,  still  followed  by  Lilian, 
stepped  to  her  side,  and  laying  her  hand  on 
her  arm,  said,  "  Miss  Burr,  here  is  Lilian 
Ross,  the  young  girl  I  spoke  to  you  about 
last  evening." 

She  instantly  dropped  both  inuslin  and 


73 

scissors,  with  which  she  was  busied,  and  turn- 
ing to  Lilian,  extended  her  hand  and,  with  a 
smile  which  threw  a  gleam  of  beauty  over 
the  homely  features,  bade  her  welcome,  in 
tones  which,  in  speaking,  lost  little  of  the 
melody  that  had  graced  the  lowly  warbled 
song. 

Mrs.  Ben  ton  then  left  them,  and  Miss 
Burr,  after  asking  a  few  friendly  questions, 
explained  to  her  the  rules  of  the  establish- 
ment, and  the  duties  that  would  be  required 
of  her.  Then  stepping  to  a  closet,  she 
brought  out  a  neat  workbasket,  containing 
needles,  thread,  scissors,  &c. ;  to  this  she  tied 
a  card,  on  which  she  wrote  Lilian's  name,  and 
placed  in  it  one  of  the  parcels  of  prepared 
work  that  lay  on  the  table  before  her.  Hand- 
ing it  to  her,  she  told  her  that  it  was  for  her 
use,  and  that  she  would  be  expected  to  keep 
it  in  order ;  then  directing  her  to  a  seat  near 
her  own,  she  touched  a  little  bell.  Immedi- 
ately all  the  girls  took  their  seats,  excepting 
two,  who  went  to  the  closet,  from  which  they 
brought  several  baskets  similar  to  the  one 
Lilian  had  received  ;  these  they  placed  on  the 
table,  and,  Miss  Burr  laying  in  each  a  piece 
of  sewing,  it  was  handed  to  the  girl  whose 
name  it  bore.  Soon  all  were  supplied,  and 
with  busy  fingers  they  plied  their  needles, 
4 


74:  "  KEEP   A   GOOD   HEAKT." 

Occasionally,  Miss  Burr  passed  through,  the 
industrious  group,  inspecting  the  work,  and 
speaking  to  each  a  few  kind  words  of  praise 
or  caution,  as  the  case  demanded.  She 
watched  the  young  stranger  with  evident  in- 
terest, and  seemed  much  pleased  with  her 
industry  and  the  neatness  of  her  needlework. 
Mrs.  Benton,  whose  time  was  mostly  occu- 
pied down  stairs,  came  to  the  room  several 
times  during  the  day.  Her  gentle,  yet  digni 
fied  manner  had  won  the  confidence,  as  well 
as  the  respect  of  the  little  band,  and  Lilian 
could  but  contrast  the  smiles  of  pleasure 
which  greeted  her  entrance,  with  the  looks 
of  dismay  and  confusion  which  always  hailed 
Mrs.  Pettigue's  appearance  in  her  work 
rooms.  On  the  whole,  she  saw  that  she  had 
made  a  pleasant  exchange,  and  though  her 
heart  still  throbbed  with  indignation,  when 
she  thought  of  the  injustice  from  which  she 
had  suffered,  she  strove  to  forget  the  painful 
past,  and  think  only  of  the  many  causes  for 
thankfulness  in  the  present. 


1  KEEP 


A  GOOD   HEABT."  75 


CHAPTEE   VIII. 

A  LITTLE  more  than  a  week  had  passed 
sincer  Lilian  commenced  her  new  employ- 
ment, and  all  had  gone  prosperously  with  the 
orphans.  To  be  sure,  Eva  found  her  trials 
rather  on  the  increase.  "With  Jennie,  the 
novelty  of  having  a  younger  child  under  her 
care,  was  beginning  to  pass  away,  conse- 
quently, she  exercised  a  less  strict  guardian- 
ship over  her,  which  fact,  though  it  gave  her 
more  freedom,  left  her  quite  at  the  mercy  of 
John,  who  never  missed  an  opportunity  to 
tease  and  annoy  her.  The  poor  child  really 
feared  him.  He  seemed  to  her  so  large  and 
strong,  she  never  doubted  that  he  could  per- 
form all  his  threats  ;  then  he  made  such  hor- 
rible faces  when  he  chanced  to  meet  her  on 
the  stairs,  and  would  spring  out  at  her  from 
some  hidden  corner  in  the  dark  hall,  with 
such  a  terrific  whoop,  that  she  grew  almost 
afraid  to  leave  the  room  when  at  home  alone. 


76  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

Once  he  came  to  make  her  a  visit,  as  he 
said.  She  received  him  as  politely  as  pos- 
sible, hoping  to  keep  him  in  good  humor ; 
but  he  had  promised  himself  rare  sport,  and 
was  bound  not  to  be  disappointed.  -  He  soon 
caught  sight  of  a  nice,  tempting  looking  tart, 
which  Lilian  had  left  on  the  table  for  her  lit- 
tle sister.  This  he  commanded  the  child  to 
bring  him.  She  reluctantly  obeyed,  and  he 
greedily  devoured  it  all,  stopping  occasionally 
to  exclaim  tantalizingly,  "  Oh,  how  good  !  " 
and  to  leer  exultingly  at  his  unwilling  hostess. 
When  the  tart  was  gone,  he  placed  his  muddy 
feet  in  Eva's  little  chair,  and  catching  up  her 
doll,  sat  twirling  it  rapidly  round  and  round 
by  its  arms  until  first  one  and  then  the  other 
was  torn  off,  then  throwing  poor  mutilated 
Dolly  across  the  room,  he  remained  quiet, 
watching  with  glee  the  looks  of  distress  with 
which  the  little  girl  examined  its  injuries  ; 
but  Eva  knew  from  experience  that  any  show 
of  grief  on  her  part,  far  from  causing  him  to 
regret  his  cruelty,  would  but  add  to  what  he 
called  his  fun,  and  increase  his  desire  to  tease ; 
so,  suppressing  her  tears  with  a  strong  effort, 
she  put  the  doll  out  of  sight,  quietly  remark- 
ing, as  if  it  had  all  been  an  accident,  that  she 
thought  her  sister  could  mend  it. 

This  did  not  suit  John ;  he  had  expected  a 


77 

passion  of  anger  and  grief,  and  was  prepared 
to  enjoy  her  helpless  rage,  but  now  that  her 
composure  seemed  likely  to  spoil  his  sport,  he 
determined  upon  a  more  daring  step,  and 
seeing  her  favorite -picture  book  near  at  hand, 
he  deliberately  placed  it  in  the  fire.  Eva 
sprang  to  rescue  it,  but  too  late — a  bright 
blaze  for  a  moment  cast  its  red  light  over  her 
pale  face  and  the  malignant  features  of  her 
tormentor,  then  died  away,  and  a  few  white 
fleecy  ashes  was  all  that  remained  of  the 
-  pretty  pictures  that  had  cheered  so  many 
lonely  hours.  She  could  endure  no  more, 
— even  her  fear  of  the  cruel  boy  was  lost  in 
indignation.  Turning  her  flashing  eyes  full 
upon  him,  she  exclaimed  : 

"  John  Havens,  you  are  a  wicked,  coward- 
ly boy."  JThe  last  adjective  aroused  all 
John's  ire ;  raising  his  hand  threateningly,  he 
replied,  angrily : 

"  How  dare  you  say  I  am  a  coward,  miss  ? 
You  had  better  take  it  back,  you  little  imp, 
or  I'll  shake  you  to  pieces  as  I  did  your  doll." 
"  I  will  not  take  it  back,"  answered  the 
undaunted  child  ;  "  you  are  a  coward.  You 
would  not  dare  -to  raise  your  finger  to  a  boy 
of  your  own  size,  but  because  I  am  a  helpless 
little  girl,  you  are  not  afraid  to  do  all  you  can 
to  trouble  me.  Now,"  she  continued,  stretch- 


78 

ing  her  little  hand  toward  the  door  with  the 
air  of  an  empress,  "  leave  the  room,  or  I  will 
go  directly  down  to  your  mother's  dining- 
room,  and  tell  her  before  all  at  the  table  what 
you  have  done." 

The  boy  saw  that  she  was  in  earnest,  and 
sullenly  obeyed  her  command  ;  but  from  that 
day  he  was  more  her  enemy  than  ever,  and, 
as  her  dread  of  him  returned  with  double 
force  when  the  excitement,  which  had  for  a 
moment  overmastered  it,  had  subsided,  he 
found  many  an  opportunity  to  annoy  her. 

Eva,  though  not  without  her  faults,  was  a 
noble  little  thing.  She  knew  that  to  com- 
plain to  Lilian  would  serve  no  good  purpose, 
and  only  make  her  unhappy .;  so  she  kept  the 
trouble  to  herself,  taking  care  to  avoid  John 
as  much  as  possible.  Thus  it  happened  that, 
on  the  day  with  which  this  chapter  opens,  she 
had  contrived  to  linger  at  school  until  he  and 
his  sister  were  on  their  way  home,  when  she 
followed  alone.  It  was  the  day  before  Christ- 
mas, and  Eva's  happy  little  heart  was  full  and 
running  over  with  joy  and  gladness.  Not 
that  she  expected  a  visit  from  St.  Nicholas. 
There  are  but  few  children,  in  this  matter-of- 
fact  age,  who  have  real  faith  in  the  jolly  little 
man  with  mouse-skins  and  reindeer,  and  our 
little  Eva  was  not  of  the  number.  She  well 


"  KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAHT."  79 

knew  that  it  would  require  some  outlay  of  her 
sister's  hard  earnings  to  fill  her  stocking,  and 
had  gravely  announced  several  days  previous 
that  she  should  not  hang  it  up,  for  that  Santa 
Glaus  had  already  sent  her  a  present — beauti- 
ful little  Faith — which  was  quite  enough  for 
a  dozen  Christmases,  and  that  she  was  very 
sure  he  could  have  nothing  more  for  her  this 
year.  And  now,  as  she  strolled  slowly  home- 
ward, lingering  with  admiring  gaze  at  the 
windows  of  toy  shops  and  confectioners,  she 
indulged  no  day-dream  of  possessing  any  of 
the  pretty  things  herself,  yet,  as  I  have  al- 
ready said,  her  heart  was  fall  of  joy  and  glad- 
ness. The  very  sight  of  so  much  beauty  was 
enough  to  make  her  happy  ;  then  to-morrow 
would  be  a  holiday  for  Lilian,  as  well  as  her- 
self, and  they  could  walk  out  together  and  see 
all  these  wonders.  At  this  thought  she  went 
bounding  merrily  onward,  determined  to  look 
no  more  until  her  sister  could  share  the 
pleasure. 

Presently  she  paused  again,  however. 
She  was  before  a  church,  from  the  broad 
steps  of  which  a  man  was  busily  sweeping  an 
uncommon  litter ;  he  moved  his  broom  most 
energetically,  keeping  time  to  the  merry  tune 
he  whistled,  never  stopping  to  note  how  beau- 
tiful were  the  little  twigs  of  pine  and  holly 


80 

that  he  so  carelessly  cast  aside ;  but  Eva's 
quick  eye  was  charmed  by  the  effect  of  green 
leaves  and  red  berries  against  the  white  snow. 
For  a  moment  she  stood  looking  on  with  a 
pleased  smile ;  then  came  a  feeling  of  regret 
as  she  thought  how  soon  it  would  all  be  tram- 
pled under  foot  and  destroyed.  Stepping  for- 
ward as  the  man's  broom  flirted  off  a  larger 
and  handsomer  sprig  than  the  others,  she 
picked  it  up,  and,  raising  her  eyes  to  his  face, 
asked  timidly,  "  May  I  have  this,  please  ?  " 

With  a  good-natured  laugh  he  replied, 
"  Of  course  you  may,  sissy,  and  as  much  more 
as  you  want ;  it  is  only  the  litter  that's  left 
from  trimming  the  church." 

The  child,  thanking  him  for  the  permis- 
sion, immediately  busied  herself  in  gathering 
the  pretty  green  twigs  which  he  seemed  so 
much  to  despise.  The  amused  sexton  watched 
her  for  a  while,  and  then  exclaimed  : 

"  I  say,  sis,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with 
all  that  rubbish,  any  way  ?  " 

"  It  isn't  rubbish  !  "  replied  Eva,  indig- 
nantly, "  but  beautiful  evergreens,  and  I'm 
going  to  dress  our  room  for  Christmas,  so  that 
it  will  look  bright  and  cheerful  when  my  sis- 
ter is  home." 

"  Well,  that  is  a  good  idea ;  but  it  ain't 
worthwhile  for  you  to  be  freezing  your  fin- 


81 

gers  picking  up  any  more  of  those.  Come 
here,  and  I'll  give  you  something  that'll  do 
better." 

Eva  followed  him  into  the  vestibule  of  the 
church ;  there  in  a  corner  stood  a  large 
basket. 

"See  here,  little  one,"  he  said ;  u  I  was 
awfully  provoked  when  I  found  there  was  all 
this  left,  and  that  I  had  got  to  see  to  carrying 
it  away ;  but  '  it  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no 
good,'  and  now  you  shall  have  the  very  pretti- 
est bunches  there  are  here  to  dress  up  your 
parlor  with.  And  look  here,  sis,"  he  contin- 
ued, with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  small,  bright 
eyas,  "  you  had  better  just  step  in  the  church, 
and  see  how  it's  done  ;  perhaps  you'd  like  to 
follow  the  pattern." 

The  little  girl  pushed  the  door  as  he  di- 
rected ;  it  opened  easily  to  her  touch,  and  as 
quickly  closed  after  her.  She  was  alone  in 
the  church,  and  a  feeling  of  awe,  but  not  of 
fear,  crept  over  her  as  she  looked  around. 
The  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  stole  through 
the  painted  windows,  casting  a  subdued  yet 
varied  light  over  the  massive  pillars  and  lofty 
arches  of  the  edifice  ;  and,  clinging  round  the 
cold,  hard  stone,  in  graceful  garlands,  the 
pine,  the  cedar,  and  holly  had  met  together 
to  beautify  the  sanctuary  in  honor  of  His 
4* 


82 

birth,  who  came  to  bring  life  and  immortality 
to  light. 

Little  Eva  stood  still,  wrapt  in  holy 
thoughts  and  filled  with  unutterable  admira- 
tion, when  suddenly  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  the  jolly  sexton  exclaimed  : 

"  Well,  sissy,  do  you  think  you  can  make 
yours  look  anything  like  that  ?  " 

"  Like  that  ?  oh,  no,  surely  the  angels 
must  have  done  it !  "  cried  the  enthusiastic 
little  lover  of  beauty. 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  her  companion, 
with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  "well,  I  was 
around  most  of  the  time  it  was  being  done, 
and  I  can't  say  that  I  saw  any  angels,  but 
maybe  it  was  because  I  didn't  have  my  specs 
on." 

The  child  heeded  not  his  reply,  but, 
thanking  him  in  low  but  grateful  tones  for 
the  beautiful  greens  he  had  selected  for  her, 
she  cast  one  more  look  back  upon  the  church, 
and  then  hastened  toward  home  with  her  prize. 

She  was  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  their  own 
room  without  encountering  John ;  and,  bar- 
ring the  door  against  all  intruders,  set  busily 
to  work  with  her  festive  preparations.  And 
no  light  task  she  found  it  to  carry  out  her 
plan  ;  such  a  tearing  of  her  little  hands  with 
the  holly,  such  a  climbing  on  chairs  and 


83 

tables,  such  a  stretching  of  her  chubby  arms, 
in  vain  efforts  to  hang  wreaths  in  impossible 
places ;  now  searching  for  a  lost  pin,  now 
reconstructing  a  garland,  which  the  breaking 
of  an  unlucky  thread  had  spoiled ;  but  she 
toiled  patiently  on,  and  at  last  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  her  simple  decorations  com- 
pleted, though  not  until  the  short  winter  twi- 
light had  given  place  to  gaslight.  The  little 
room  looked  very  pretty  in  its  Christmas 
dress,  and  Eva  grew  impatient  for  her  sister's 
return,  that  she  might  show  her  handiwork  ; 
but  Lilian  was  later  than  usual,  and  at  last 
she  concluded  to  go  down  and  watch  for  her 
through  the  side  lights  of  the  front  door. 
Throwing  her  little  cloak  around  her,  she 
stole  cautiously  out  into  the  hall,  and,  after 
peering  anxiously  into  the  gathering  darkness, 
and  listening  a  moment  to  make  sure  that 
John  was  not  lurking  near,  she  locked  the 
door  behind  her,  and,  creeping  as  silently  as 
possible  down  the  stairs,  was  soon  standing 
with  her  face  pressed  close  to  the  narrow  strip 
of  glass,  watching  eagerly  every  form  that 
came  within  her  small  field  of  vision. 

Rapidly  the  pedestrians  hurried  by,  each 
with  bundles  or  overflowing  baskets,  that  told 
of  a  good  time  coming  to-morrow.  Even  the 
poor  washerwoman,  who  lived  round  the  cor- 


84: 

ner,  as  she  stopped  under  the  street  light  to 
arrange  more  securely  the  contents  of  her 
market  basket,  revealed  the  head  of  a  tin 
horse  and  the  wheel  of  a  toy  wagon,  and  Eva 
was  glad  to  know  that  her  little  red-haired 
boys  were  to  have  a  merry  Christmas.  Still 
Lilian  did  not  come,  and  the  weary  little 
watcher  had  begun  to  feel  very  disconsolate 
at  the  delay,  when  a  long,  light  wagon  drove 
tip  to  the  door.  She  could  see  by  the  gas- 
light the  word  "  Express  "  printed  in  gilt  let- 
ters on  its  side.  A  man  sprang  from  it,  and, 
running  up  the  steps,  gave  the  bell  a  quick, 
hurried  pull.  Eva  opened  the  door,  thinking 
he  would  inquire  for  Mrs.  Havens,  or  perhaps 
some  of  her  boarders  ;  but,  to  her  surprise, 
he  asked  if  Miss  Lilian  Ross  lived  there. 

The  wondering  child  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  adding  the  gratuitous  information 
that  she  was  her  sister. 

"  Then,  little  one,"  he  replied,  with  a 
smile,  "  perhaps  you  can  tell  me  what  to  do 
with  the  box  I've  got  here  for  her."  So  say- 
ing, he  returned  to  the  wagon  and  lifted  out  a 
square  box,  which  Eva  thought,  from  the  way 
he  carried  it,  must  be  heavy.  He  followed 
her  up  the  stairs,  and,  placing  his  burden  on 
the  floor  in  their  room,  hastened  away.  Eva 
was  still  examining  the  outside  of  the  myste- 


85 

rious  box  when  Lilian  returned.  She  looked 
around  with  surprise  at  the  transformation 
which  had  taken  place  in  her  humble  home. 
The  glossy  leaves  and  shining  berries,  gleam- 
ing brightly  in  the  gaslight,  gave  the  room 
such  a  festive  air  that  she  hardly  recognized 
it,  and  would  surely  have  thought  she  was  in 
the  wrong  house,  but  that  Eva  sprang  to  her 
side  rattling  off  a  torrent  of  explanations, 
which,  though  at  first  adding  confusion  to 
doubt,  finally  convinced  her  that  the  excited 
child  was  herself  the  author  of  the  wreaths 
and  garlands,  and  that  the  only  mystery  in 
the  case  was  still  shut  up  in  the  box. 

Eva '  was  soon  dispatched  to  borrow  a 
hammer  of  Mrs.  Havens,  when  Lilian,  step- 
ping to  the  bureau,  carefully  secreted  in  one 
of  the  drawers  a  small  parcel  which  she  had 
kept  hidden  under  her  shawl. 

Little  Eva  almost  flew  on  her  errand,  not 
even  stopping  to  make  sure  of  John's  absence 
as  she  ran  through  the  dark  passages.  She 
found  Mrs.  Havens  in  a  state  of  more  than 
usual  worry  and  excitement,  striving  hope- 
lessly to  impress  upon  a  new  recruit  from  the 
Emerald  Isle  the  importance  of  setting  the 
tea-table  before  she  made  the  toast.  The 
little  girl  was  somewhat  abashed  at  the 
sharply  uttered  "  Eun  away,  child,  and  keep 


86  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

out  of  the  muss !  "  which  greeted  her  en- 
trance into  the  stormy  kitchen  ;  still  she  ven- 
tured, while  standing  as  near  the  door  as 
possible,  to  ask  for  the  hammer,  and  explain 
for  what  they  wished  to  use  it. 

Mrs.  Havens,  somewhat  mollified  by  her 
timid  manner,  and  perhaps  feeling  some 
regret  that  her  hasty  words  had  cast  a 
'damper  upon  the  child's  happiness,  gave  her 
what  she  desired,  with  a  grim  attempt  at  a 
smile;  and  she  bounded  away  to  her  own 
more  cheerful  quarters,  where  Lilian  was 
patiently  awaiting  her  return.  "With  some 
expenditure  of  strength  and  exercise  of  me- 
chanical skill,  the  box  was  at  last  forced 
open,  and  its  contents  subjected  to  their  eager 
inspection.  There  was  a  fine  large  turkey, 
all  ready  roasted,  there  were  mince  pies, 
apple  pies,  and  pumpkin  pies,  a  large  loaf  of 
cake,  and  a  small  pot  of  jelly.  Then  there 
was  a  little  pasteboard  box,  containing  stock- 
ings and  mittens,  a  very  pretty  needle  book 
for  Lilian,  and  a  pin  cushion  for  Eva,  with 
the  words  "  Remember  me  "  formed  in  pins 
on  one  side,  and  last,  though  not  least,  a 
letter  from  good  Aunty  Smith,  begging  her 
"  dear  children "  to  accept  the  "  humble 
Christmas  offering."  The  mittens  and  stock- 
ings  were  of  her  own  knitting ;  the  needle 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  87 

book  and  cushion  were  from  Miss  Becky, 
who  assured  them  they  were  made  after  an 
entirely  new  and  much  approved  pattern. 
Each  had  had  a  share  in  preparing  the  eata- 
bles, and  they  both  asked  that  their  young 
friends  would  think  of  them  and  the  old 
home  while  enjoying  their  Christmas  dinner. 
Then  followed  a  summary  of  all  the  village 
news,  a  particular  account  of  Ponto,  Puss, 
and  the  chickens,  and  many  other  items  of 
household  gossip,  which  were  of  absorbing 
interest  to  the  orphans. 

It  was  later  than  usual  ere  little  Eva  was 
ready  for  bed  that  night.  "When  she  had 
said  her  prayers,  she  raised  her  rose-bud  lips 
for  a  good-night  kiss,  and  Lilian,  as  she  gave 
it,  asked : 

"  Why,  Birdie,  ar'n't  you  going  to  hang 
up  your  stocking?  don't  you  know  this  is 
Christmas  Eve  ? " 

The  child  understood  the  meaning  smile 
with  which  her  sister  spoke,  and,  catching  up 
her  stocking  with  delighted  surprise,  pinned 
it  to  the  mantelpiece ;  then  springing  into 
bed,  she  soon  fell  asleep,  wondering  what  it 
could  be  that  Lilian  had  for  her,  hoping  she 
had  not  deprived  herself  of  anything  to 
gratify  her. 

When  satisfied  that  her  little  sister  was 
sleeping,  Lilian  took  out  the  parcel  that  she 


88 

had  placed  in  the  bureau,  and,  unrolling  it, 
brought  to  light  a  small  doll  and  a  piece  of 
blue  silk — the  latter  a  contribution  from  Miss 
Burr ;  then,  taking  from  her  workbasket  a 
roll  of  white  cambric  and  a  few  bits  of  lace, 
she  seated  herself  in  the  rocking  chair  by  the 
table,  and  soon  her  willing  fingers  were  en- 
gaged in  fashioning  the  most  fairylike  gar- 
ments imaginable ;  and  so  swiftly  flew  the 
bright  little  needle  that  ere  long  Dolly's 
tasteful  outfit  was  completed.  "  All  but  the 
shoes,"  said  Lilian,  as  she  held  it  up  to  take  a 
critical  survey  of  her  work ;  "  Birdie  would 
not  be  quite  satisfied  if  I  left  it  barefooted, 
though  she  would  not  say  ^a  word,  I  know, 
dear  little  thing !  "  Thus  soliloquizing,  she 
again  opened  the  bureau  drawer,  and  after  a 
moment's  search  found  an  old  kid  glove,  out 
of  which  she  skilfully  formed  a  very  neat  pair 
of  little  shoes,  which  proved  a  most  excellent 
fit.  And  now  the  last  bow  was  tied  and  the 
work  of  love  finished.  Taking  from  her 
pocket  a  little  package  of  candy,  she  put  it 
first  into  the  stocking,  then  carefully  smooth- 
ing Dolly's  fine  dress,  placed  her  with  her 
head  peeping  out  at  the  top,  and,  turning 
away  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction,  she  sought 
her  pillow. 

The  morning  sun,  streaming  through  frost- 
covered  windows,  shone  upon  a  happy  scene 


89 

in  that  little  room.  The  Christmas  garlands 
looked  fresh  and  green  in  the  cheerful  light ; 
the  breakfast  table  was  neatly  spread.  Lilian 
was  busily  engaged  preparing  some  little  extra 
dish  for  the  meal,  occasionally  looking  up 
from  her  task  to  speak  a  loving  word  to  Eva, 
who  was  dancing  about  the  room  for  very 
joyousness,  with  her  new  doll  in  her  arms. 
On  the  whole,  it  was  a  merry  Christmas  day 
for  the  orphans,  though  sometimes  a  shade  of 
sadness  would  cross  Lilian's  brow,  as  she  con- 
trasted it  with  the  days  that  were  past. 

They  took  a  long  walk  through  the  gay 
streets,  as  Eva  had  anticipated,  and  came 
home  with  sharpened  appetite  to  the  beauti- 
ful dinner  which  awaited  them. 

Mrs.  Havens  had  kindly  allowed  them  the 
use  of  her  oven  to  warm  the  turkey,  as  their 
own  was  much  too  small  to  accommodate  it. 
When  all  was  ready,  they  sat  down  to  a  ban- 
quet which  Eva  declared  was  fit  for  a  king. 

Ah !  what  a  delightful  home  flavor  had 
all  the  dainties,  and  how  lovingly  the  sisters 
spoke  of  the  dear  friends  whose  affection  had 
prepared  this  treat  for  them. 

We  will  leave  our  young  friends  seated  at 
the  window,  with  its  holly-decked  curtains, 
watching  the  sunset  of  this  bright  day,  and 
pass  over  many  months  before  w^e  again  re- 
sume the  thread  of  simple  history. 


90  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAET." 


CHAPTEK IX. 

WINTEK  gave  place  to  spring,  and  spring 
brightened  into  summer,  and  all  went  well. 
Lilian  gained  daily  more  and  more  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  her  employer.  Eva  made 
rapid  progress  in  her  studies,  and,  as  John, 
finding  there  was  but  little  "  fun  "  in  teasing 
one  who  bore  his  tyranny  so  uncomplaining- 
ly, now  but  seldom  molested  her,  she  was  as 
happy  as  the  day  was  long.  Sometimes,  in- 
deed, she  longed  for  the  green  fields  and 
shady  groves  among  which  all  the  previous 
summers  of  her  short  life  had  been  spent,  and 
she  wondered  how  it  fared  with  her  little 
garden  at  B ,  and  whether  the  honey- 
suckle and  rose  vines  were  doing  well  this 
year,  and  wished  she  might  hear  the  robins 
sing  in  the  apple  tree  once  more ;  but  she 
said  nothing  of  all  these  vain  yearnings  to 
Lilian,  but  sought  to  make  herself  what 
amends  were  in  her  power  by  frequent  visits 


91 

to  th£  park.  She  was  delighted  to  find  that 
birds  made  their  nests  in  the  trees  there,  arid 
decided  that  the  fountain,  when  it  played, 
was  a  very  good  substitute  for  the  brook. 
And  as  she  had  now  become  quite  familiar 
with  the  city  streets,  she  would  often  stroll 
into  the  up-town  avenues  to  see  the  beautiful 
flowers  that  decked  the  parterres  before  the 
mansions  of  wealth.  No  feeling  of  envy  de- 
tracted from  the  delight  with  which  she 
watched  the  gradual  unfolding  of  these  floral 
gems,  and  perhaps  they  were  the  source  of 
greater  delight  to  her  than  to  those  who 
owned  them. 

!  Thus,  with  cheerfully  performed  duties 
and  simple  pleasures,  time  passed  rapidly  on, 
till  now  the  leaves  in  the  park  are  growing 
brown  and  sear ;  the  summer  flowers  have 
given  place  to  the  more  hardy  asters  and 
dahlias ;  the  shortened  days  and  an  occa- 
sional chilly  blast  tell  the  approach  of  au- 
tumn, that  gaudy  herald  of  dreary  winter. 
But  there  are  heavier  tidings  afloat  than 
those  which  murmuring  nature  whispers  to 
the  birds ;  and,  as  the  rumor  passes  from  lip 
to  lip,  manly  cheeks  blanch  and  stout  hearts 
quail.  A  harvest  of  unusual  abundance  has 
.been  gathered  into  overflowing  barns,  and  yet 
the  words  "  want  and  distress "  are  stani- 


92 

mered  by  every  tongue.  A  great  financial 
crisis  lias  suddenly  broken  upon  the  country, 
and  the  shock,  as  of  electricity,  passes  through 
every  department  of  the  moneyed  world.  Yes ! 
so  intimately  are  the  interests  of  mankind 
interwoven,  that  the  laborer  in  his  garret, 
and  the  millionnaire  by  his  fireside,  alike  feel 
and  shudder  at  the  fearful  vibration. 

As  weeks  pass  on  the  gloom  increases ; 
crash  follows  crash,  as  princely  fortunes  crum- 
ble to  the  dust,  burying  many  a  humble 
hearthstone  in  the  ruins.  The  streets  are 
thronged  with  men,  women,  and  children, 
thrown  out  of  employment,  vainly  seeking 
the  means  to  earn  a  scanty  meal.  The 
hearts  of  men  grow  tender  and  compassionate 
amid  such  general  distress,  and  the  gentle 
voice  of  charity,  too  often  stifled  by  the 
shouts  of  prosperity,  is  heard  calling  upon  all 
such  as  will,  to  "  come  and  buy  bread  with- 
out money  and  without  price."  Many  em- 
ployers, careful  rather  of  the  interests  of  their 
employees  than  their  own,  struggle  bravely 
on,  refusing  to  stop  their  work  while  there  is 
a  possibility  of  paying  the  workman's  hire. 
Of  this  class  was  Mrs.  Benton.  Though  her 
business  was  seriously  affected  from  the  very 
beginning  of  the  panic,  she  would  not  dismiss 
any  of  the  hands ;  but  when  she  found  her- 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEABT."  93 

self  obliged  to  retrench  in  some  way,  she 
called  them  together,  and,  briefly  explaining 
her  situation,  told  them  that,  as  she  was  re- 
solved not  to  cast  any  of  them  off  so  long  as 
it  was  in  her  power  to  avoid  it,  she  was  com- 
pelled to  reduce  the  wages  of  all.  To  this 
the  girls  consented  uncomplainingly,  but  with 
heavy  hearts,  for  well  they  knew  that  Mrs. 
Benton  would  not  take  such  a  step  unless  the 
necessity  was  great. 

After  this  all  went  on  much  as  usual  for  a 
few  weeks ;  but  Lilian,  who,  though  she 
dared  not  question,  watched  Mrs.  Benton's 
countenance  anxiously,  saw  the  shadow  of 
care  and  perplexity  deepen  day  by  day  upon 
her  brow.  Those  were  gloomy  days  to  the 
young  girl,  in  which  she  watched  the  gather- 
ing of  the  storm  which  she  knew  must  burst 
upon  her.  If  at  home  she  chanced  to  encoun- 
ter Mrs.  Havens,  the  look  of  absolute  despair, 
which  had  taken  the  place  of  her  usual  ex- 
pression of  discontent,  fairly  frightened  her. 
In  the  workroom,  the  girls  talked  in  low 
tones  of  acquaintances  who  had  lost  their 
situations,  and  how  impossible  it  was  for 
them  to  procure  other  employment,  until  she 
grew  sick  at  heart,  for  all  of  these  had  some 
staff,  however  weak,  upon  which  to  lean  till 
the  dark  hour  had  passed  ;  but  to  what  could 


94:  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

she  look  when  the  power  to  help   herself 
should  be  taken  away  ? 

This  weight  of  care,  so  unsuited  to  her 
years,  soon  showed  its  effects  upon  her  health. 
She  grew  pale  and  thin ;  her  step  lost  its 
elasticity,  her  eye  burned  with  an  unnatural 
lustre,  she  started  nervously  at  every  sudden 
sound  or  movement.  The  nights,  instead  of 
bringing  refreshing  repose,  were  spent  in 
feverish  tossings  and  wild  speculations  as  to 
the  future.  At  last  the  dread  which  had 
been  sapping  her  life  became  a  reality.  It 
was  Saturday  night,  and  Mrs.  Benton  came 
into  the  room  as  usual  to  pay  the  girls  their 
week's  wages.  There  was  something  in  her 
manner  which  riveted  the  attention  of  all, 
and  filled  poor  Lilian  with  consternation. 
Silently  she  handed  to  each,  the  amount  that 
was  due  them,  and  then,  turning  sadly  to  the 
expectant  group,  she  said  that  the  event 
which  for  weeks  she  had  foreseen  and  strug- 
gled against  had  at  last  overtaken  her ;  she 
had  failed,  and  the  next  week  her  stock  would 
be  sold  at  auction  for  the  benefit  of  creditors. 
As  it  was  no  longer  in  her  power  to  supply 
them  with  the  work  which  they  so  much 
needed,  she  could  but  bid  them  go  forth, 
trusting  in  Providence,  and  pray  that  He 
would  prosper  them  in  some  other  under 
taking. 


95 

Manj  tears  were  shed  at  the  cheerless 
"parting,  but  to  Lilian  came  no  such  relief. 
With  dry,  burning  eyes,  she  received  and 
responded  to  the  affectionate  farewell  of  Mrs. 
Benton  and  Miss  Burr,  then  turned  with  lan- 
guid step  toward  home. 

Little  Eva  was  watching  for  her  return, 
eager  to  tell  how  she  had  gone  up  to  the  head 
of  her  class  for  spelling  a  hard  word  that  all 
the  large  girls  missed ;  but .  at  sight  of  her 
sister's  pale,  despairing  face,  the  child  forgot 
her  own  triumph,  and  entreated  to  know 
what  had  grieved  her. 

Lilian  took  her  on  her  lap,  and  in  meas- 
ured tones,  whose  unnatural  calmness  fright- 
ened her  more  than  the  words  themselves, 
told  her  of  the  calamity  that  had  befallen 
them.  Eva's  tears  flowed  fast.  Too  well  she 
knew  that  this  new  misfortune  could  not  be 
so  easily  remedied  as  others  which  had 
clouded  their  path  ;  for  she  had  heard  on  all 
sides  of  the  hard  times,  and  how  people  were 
suffering  from  want  who  were  ready  and 
willing  to  work  if  work  could  but  be  found, 
yet  it  was  only  for  a  moment  that  her  faith 
faltered.  Throwing  her  arms  around  Lilian's 
neck,  she  exclaimed,  "  Don't  cry,  Lillie ! 
God  has  always  taken  care  of  us,  and  I  know 
He  will  now." 


96 

But  the  hopeful  words  met  with  no  re- 
sponse in  her  sister's  breast.  With  a  hasty 
kiss,  she  turned  from  the  little  would-be  com- 
forter, and  gave  herself  up  to  her  own  fore- 
boding thoughts. 

In  all  the  dark  horizon  there  was  but  one 
streak  of  light — the  remembrance  of  her  old 
home.  She  could  take  her  little  sister  and  go 
back  to  dear,  good  Aunty  Smith.  She  knew 
how  gladly  she  would  give  them  shelter  ;  and 
surely  they  had  friends  enough  in  their  native 
village  who  would  supply  them  with  bread, 
if  need  be,  until  better  days.  Her  pride 
shrank  from  the  thought  of  returning  to 

B to  live  on  charity ;  but  her  aching 

heart  longed  for  the  sympathy  and  protection 
which  she  was  sure  there  awaited  her.  It 
would  be  so  soothing  to  pour  out  her  sorrows 
on  the  gentle  breast  of  her  old  friend,  and  to 
hear  Miss  Becky's  cheerful  voice  once  more, 
as  she  busied  herself  with  her  household  du- 
ties. She  knew  that  the  money  she  had  re- 
ceived that  evening  was  more  than  enough  to 
pay  Mrs.  Havens  her  due  and  defray  the 
expenses  of  the  journey,  and  determined  to 
leave  as  soon  as  she  could  write  and  inform 
their  friends  of  their  coming.  The  moment 
this  resolve  was  taken,  the  heary  cloud  was 
lifted  which  had  seemed  crushing  her  to  the 


"  KEEP  A  GOOD   HEAKT."  97 

earth,  and  hope  seemed  smiling  upon  her 
from  its  lessening  gloom.*  Calling  Eva  to  her 
side,  she  was  about  to  tell  her  of  her  decision, 
well  knowing  how  delighted  she  would  be  at 
the  prospect  of  going  "  home,"  when  a  rap  at 
the  door  interrupted  her. 

"  Two  cents !  the  man's  waiting,"  ex- 
claimed the  querulous  voice  of  Mrs.  Havens' 
overtasked  maid-of-all-work/as  she  thrust  a 
letter  into  Eva's  hand. 

Ah,  that  letter  !  how  eagerly  Lilian 
caught  it  from  her  little  sister,  confident  that 
in  some  way  it  would  help  them  out  of  the 
difficulties  which  surrounded  them.  How 
excited  Eva  was  at  so  unexpected  an  event  as 
a  letter  for  them  !  so  very  much  flurried,  in- 
deed, that  she  twice  dropped  the  all-impor- 
tant pennies  while  taking  them  across  the 
room  to  Bridget,  thereby  quite,  exhausting 
that  damsel's  slender  stock  of  patience. 

With  a  light  step  and  a  joyous  heart  the 
child  sprang  back  to  her  sister's  side ;  but 
alas  !  the  momentary  sunshine  had  fled. 
With  colorless  face,  and  a  wild,  startled  look 
in  her  beautiful  eyes,  she  was  gazing  upon 
the  yet  unopened  letter,  and  now,  for  the  first 
time,  Eva  saw  that  it  was  sealed  with  black. 
Tremblingly  Lilian  broke  the  ominous  seal, 
and  read  the  confirmation  of  her  worst  fears. 
5 


98 

The  letter  was  from  Miss  Becky,  and  con- 
tained the  sad  announcement  of  her  mother's 
death.  The  good  old  lady,  after  a  short  ill- 
ness, had  closed  her  eyes  forever  upon  the 
world,  as  calmly  as  an  infant  falls  asleep  on 
its  mother's  bosom  ;  and  the  sorrowing  daugh 
ter,  writing  to  the  young  orphans,  who  she 
knew  would  share  her  affliction,  endeavored 
to  convey  to  them  a  share  also  of  her  consola- 
tion, by  dwelling  on  the  peaceful  departure 
of  their  loved  one,  and  the  joys  by  which  she 
was  now  surrounded,  in  which  they  too  might 
hope  to  participate  when  life's  short  trial 
should  be  passed.  In  a  postscript  Miss 
Becky  informed  them  that  her  brother,  who 
had  come  from  the  far  West  to  see  his  moth- 
er's form  laid  in  its  last  resting  place,  had 
proposed  that  she  should  return  with  him  and 
henceforth  make  his  home  her  own.  She  had 
accepted  the  kind  proifer,  had  already  found 
new  occupants  for  the  cottage,  and,  ere  this 
letter  reached  her  young  friends,  would  be 
far  on  her  way  toward  her  new  home. 

Lilian  read  it  all  with  a  faltering  voice 
and  streaming  eyes,  while  Eva  gave  vent  to 
her  grief  in  sobs  and  ^ears.  The  little  tea 
table  was  not  spread  that  night ;  the  orphan 
sisters  were  too  absorbed  in  their  new  sorrow 
to  feel  aught  of  hunger.  Eva,  lying  on  the 


99 

lounge,  had  cried  herself  to  sleep  ;  and  Lilian, 
seated  beside  her,  with  her  hands  folded  lan- 
guidly in  her  lap,  heeded  not  the  gathering 
darkness,  for  once  more  the  deeper  darkness 
of  despair  had  closed  around  her. 


100 


CHAPTEE   X. 

ONE  day,  shortly  after  Lilian  had  left  Mrs. 
Benton,  she  was  seated  by  the  fire  making  a 
bonnet  for  Eva's  doll.  Her  heart  was  not  in 
the  work;  she  would  gladly  have  thrown 
aside  the  gay-colored  silk,  that,  with  its 
brightness,  mocked  her  distress,  but  her  little 
sister  stood  by  her  side  watching  with  glee 
the  construction  of  Miss  Dolly's  new  hat. 
There  was  sorrow  enough  in  store  for  the 
light-hearted  child,  she  feared,  and  she  would 
not  deprive  her  of  one  pleasure  which  it  was 
in  her  power  to  bestow  ;  so  with  forced  cheer- 
fulness she  pursued  her  task,  replying  pa- 
tiently to  the  little  one's  numberless  ques- 
tions. But  Eva  was  neither  so  careless  nor 
so  thoughtless  as  she  seemed.  She  was 
pleased  with  her  new  toy,  and  watched  with 
delight  its  points  of  beauty  as  they  gradually 
formed  beneath  her  sister's  skilful  fingers ; 


101 

yet,  as  we  shall  see,  her  pleasure  had  a  deeper 
source  than  the  mere  selfish  gratification  of 
the  moment.  She  well  understood  the  diffi- 
culties of  their  situation.  She  had  seen^how 
little  there  was  left  in  the  purse  when  Lilian 
paid  Mrs.  Havens  the  rent  that  morning. 
She  knew  that  the  coal  was  almost  gone,  and 
she  also  knew  that,  live  as  economically  as 
they  might,  it  must  cost  them  something  for 
food  each  day.  How  long,  then,  would  the 
little  store  last,  and  what  could  they  do  when 
it  was  spent  ?  These  momentous  questions 
had  busied  her  thoughts  for  some  time.  One 
thing  was  certain,  she  thought :  it  would  be 
worse  than  useless  for  Lilian  to  seek  employ- 
ment at  present,  and  consequently  at  seemed 
to  her  equally  certain  that  she  must  do  some- 
thing herself  to  raise  the  needed  funds.  Sat- 
isfied with  this  decision,  and  wearied  with  so 
much  silent  cogitation,  she  dismissed  the 
whole  subject  from  her  mind  for  the  time 
being,  leaving  the  ways  and  means  of  accom- 
plishing her  object  for  futuise  meditation,  and, 
remembering  that  Dolly's  head  gear  was  in  a 
sadly  dilapidated  condition,  she  had  hunted 
up  a  box  containing  the  numerous  scraps  of 
silk  and  bits  of  ribbons  which  kind-hearted 
Miss  Burr  had  from  time  to  time  given  her, 
and  had  coaxed  Lilian  to  redeem  her  forgot- 


102 

ten  promise  to  make  it  a  new  bonnet.  Now, 
as  she  watched  the  progress  of  her  work,  a 
thought  struck  her  which  made  her  heart 
beat  fast,  and  sent  bright,  hopeful  sparkles 
into  her  blue  eyes. 

"Sister  Lillie,"  w  she  asked  eagerly, 
"couldn't  you  make  ever  so  many  little 
hats  like  that  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I  could,  pet,"  replied  Lilian, 
with  a  faint  smile ;  "but  is  not  one  enough 
at  a  time  ?  " 

"  Yes,  enough  for  me,  Lillie ;  but  don't 
you  know  I  could  sell  them  and  get  some 
money  ?  then  you  need  not  look  so  sorry  all 
the  while,  and  the  good  times  would  come 
back  again,  and  oh,  it  would  be  so  nice !  " 
exclaimed  the  child,  fairly  dancing  about  the 
room  with  delight,  as  she  fancied  she  had  at 
last  found  the  path  that  should  lead  them  out 
of  their  labyrinth  of  troubles.  'Then,  spring- 
ing back  to  her  sister's  side,  she  wound  her 
plump  arms  around  her  neck,  saying  coaxing- 
ly,  "  You  will  make  them,  won't  you,  Lillie  ?  " 

"  I  would  do  anything  to  give  you  pleas- 
ure, Birdie,  but  fear  if  I  should  do  as  you 
wish  it  would  only  bring  you  disappointment. 
Who  do  you  think  would  buy  the  things 
when  they  were  made  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  who  would  buy  them,  but  I 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  103 

am  sure  somebody  would.  I  could  take  them 
in  a  little  basket,  and  ask  the  people  as  they 
passed  along  the  street." 

"  Never,  Eva  !  "  exclaimed  the  elder  sis- 
ter, catching  the  child  to  her  heart,  as  if  to 
shield  her  from  some  threatened  danger ; 
"  never  shall  you  go  wandering  through  the 
streets  like  the  miserable  little  children  we 
have  so  often  seen  in  this  great,  dreary  city, 
striving  all  day  long  to  gather  together  a  few 
pennies,  and  receiving  angry  words  and  scorn- 
ful looks  instead.  No,  darling,  it  shall  not 
come  to  that ;  I  will  work  my  fingers  to  the 
bone  first !  "  and,  covering  her  little  sister 
with  kisses,  the  agitated  girl  burst  into  a  pas- 
sion of  tears.  Alas !  it  needed  but  a  mo- 
ment's thought  to  remind  her  how  impossible 
it  would  be  to  make  good  her  last  words  ;  for 
where  could  she  procure  the  work  which  she 
would  so  gladly  undertake?  Eva,  though 
surprised  and  distressed  at  the  effect  of  her 
artless  proposal,  was  still  unwilling  to  aban- 
don the  plan,  and,  as  soon  as  Lilian  was  calm 
enough  to  listen,  she  renewed  her  persuasions, 
and  was  finally  so  far  successful  as  to  gain 
her  reluctant  consent  to  make  a  number  of 
little  hats  and  other  fancy  articles,  and  allow 
her  to  take  them  to  the  nearest  toyshop  and 
try  to  sell  them. 


104 

Now  work  commenced  in  earnest.  Eva, 
full  of  expectation,  confident  of  success,  and 
anxious  to  help,  rummaged  every  nook  and 
corner  in  search  of  pasteboard  and  whatever 
other  necessary  and  unnecessary  material  she 
happened  to  think  of,  emptying  drawers  and 
boxes  in  her  eagerness,  without  even  thinking 
of  replacing  their  contents,  until  the  usually 
neat  room  presented  a  scene  of  confusion  that 
would  have  driven  any  thrifty  housewife  dis- 
tracted. Then,  suddenly  perceiving  the  mis- 
chief she  had  done,  she  set  about  repairing  it, 
though  with  somewhat  abated  ardor,  it  must 
be  confessed. 

Lilian,  in  the  mean  time,  scarcely  heeding 
the  little  girl's  movements,  had  been  busily 
plying  her  needle,  so  that  by  the  time  Eva 
had  restored  things  to  order,  she  was  putting 
the  finishing  touches  to  another  doll's  bonnet, 
and  even  began  to  feel  some  interest  in  her 
employment.  Eva,  perceiving  how  little 
good  had  resulted  from  her  own  unaided 
efforts,  now  begged  her  sister  to  tell  her  what 
she  could  do  to  help,  and  very  readily- 
learned,  with  the  aid  of  patterns  which  she 
prepared  for  her,  to  cut  out  pasteboard 
frames  for  baskets  and  boxes  ;  each  piece  of 
pasteboard  Lilian  covered  with  silk,  and 
when  the  corresponding  pieces  were  neatly 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  105 

sewed  together,  they  formed  very  tasteful 
little  affairs.  Eva  was  delighted,  and  consid- 
ered their  fortune  already  made ;  and  even 
Lilian's  smile  was  less  sad  than  it  had  been 
of  late. 

All  that  day  and  the  next  the  orphans 
busied  themselves  with  their  pleasing  em- 
ployment. On  the  third  morning  it  was 
agreed  that  Eva  should  try  to  dispose  of  the 
articles  that  were  finished,  at  the  toy  mer- 
chant's. Lilian  arranged  their  small  stock  in 
trade  in  the  basket  so  as  to  show  to  the  best 
advantage,  and  Eva,  as  she  raised  the  cover 
to  take  a  last  peep,  was  sure  no  one  could 
resist  the  temptation  to  buy.  Besides  an 
assortment  of  tiny  bonnets  that  might  have 
turned  the  head  of  any  belle  in  Fairy-land, 
there  were  two  beautiful  little  chairs,  and 
quite  a  variety  of  workboxes  and  baskets. 

The  child,  carefully  wrapped  up  in  her 
little  cloak,  with  the  basket  on  her  arm, 
trudged  bravely  along,  caring  not  for  the 
cold,  nor  heeding  the  dull,  gray  clouds  that 
covered  all  the  sky,  and  occasionally  sent  a« 
few  snow  flakes  whirling  slowly  through  the 
air.  Her  heart  was  so  full  of  hope  and  faith 
that  the  cheerless  morning  seemed  beautiful 
to  her.  Not  so  with  Lilian,  who  watched  her 
from  the  window.  She  had  no  confidence  in 


106  "  KEEP 

the  success  of  their  experiment,  and  had  en- 
gaged in  it  only  to  please  the  child,  and  to 
while  away  some  of  the  unemployed  hours 
which  dragged  so  heavily  by ;  and  now,  as 
she  stood  gazing  after  the  little  black-robed 
figure  that  hurried  along  the  street  with  such 
a  springing  tread,  she  sighed,  for  she  doubted 
not  that  the  child,  with  all  her  bright  expect- 
ations, was  hastening  to  meet  a  sad  disappoint- 
ment. She  saw  the  leaden  clouds,  which  like 
a  pall  shut  out  the  sunlight,  and  shuddered 
as  she  marked  the  feathery  harbingers  of  win- 
ter storms  which  fell  so  silently  to  the  earth  ; 
then,  turning  to  the  bureau  drawer,  she 
opened  her  purse  and  counted  over,  for  the 
twentieth  time,  the  few  pieces  of  silver  that 
remained  of  her  little  hoar_d,  saying  to  herself, 
in  a  terrified  whisper,  "  "What  will  become 
of  us  when  this  is  gone  ?  " 

In  the  mean  time  Eva  had  reached  the 
toyshop.  Her  heart  beat  very  fast  as  she 
with  some  difficulty  raised  her  basket  to  the 
counter,  and  in  a  faltering  voice  asked  the 
stern-looking  man  who  stood  behind  it  to  buy 
her  toys. 

"  No,  child,  no  !  "  he  answered  angrily  ; 
"  I  can't  sell  what  I've  got  here  already,  to 
say  nothing  of  such  trumpery  as  that,"  and 
he  pushed  the  basket  impatiently  toward  her. 


107 

The  little  girl  hastened  from  the  store ;  she 
was  frightened  by  the  harsh  words  and  rough 
manner  of  the  man,  and  for  a  moment  felt 
very  much  like  crying,  but,  brushing  away 
the  tears,  she  said  to  herself,  "  Suppose  one 
man  is  cross — that's  no  reason  why  all  should 
be.  I'll  try  again."  Kecollecting  that  there 
was  another  toyshop  a  few  blocks  off,  she 
turned  her  steps  in  -that  direction  and  hurried 
onward*  Arriving  at  the  store  with  the  un- 
kind words  still  ringing  in  her  ears,  she  felt 
very  loth  to  go  in,  and  lingered  at  the  door, 
half  inclined  to  turn  about  and  go  home  ;  but, 
remembering  her  sister's  sad  face,  which  she 
had  hoped  to  brighten,  she  summoned  her 
failing  courage  and  entered. 

Behind  the  counter  was  seated  a  pleasant- 
looking  woman,  busily  engaged  sewing.  She 
rose  with  a  smile  when  the  door  opened,  evi- 
dently expecting  a  customer ;  but,  though  the 
smile  faded  as  Eva  made  known  her  errand, 
it  gave  place  to  a  pitying  look  that  was  as 
kind.  She  examined  the  contents  of  the  bas- 
ket, while  the  child  told  her  simple  story,  and 
then  said,  in  tones  of  real  regret,  "  I  am  sorry 
I  cannot  buy  any  of  these  beautiful  things  to- 
day, my  little  girl ;  but  these  are  hard  times, 
dear — I  hardly  sell  anything  nowadays." 
Then,  seeing  the  look  of  disappointment  with 


108  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

which  the  child  took  up  the  basket,  she 
added  encouragingly,  "  You  had  better  offer 
them  to  the  ladies  you  pass  in  the  street.  I 
am  sure  they  would  buy  them,  for  the  sake 
of  this  sweet  face ; "  and  she  stroked  Eva's 
clustering  curls  with  her  broad,  plump  hand. 
The  little  girl  turned  toward  home  with 
lingering  steps.  She  longed  to  go  farther, 
feeling  quite  sure  that  she  should  meet  with 
better  fortune  the  next  time ;  but  she  knew 
Lilian  would  be  anxious  if  she  was  long  ab- 
sent, and  she  had  already  been  farther  than 
she  intended.  She  was  sorely  tempted  to 
follow  the  advice  of  the  good  woman  at  the 
toyshop,  and  ask  some  of  the  gaily-dressed 
ladies  she  met  to  buy  her  goods ;  but  this 
Lilian  had  forbidden,  and  she  must  not  diso- 
bey her  "  mother-sister." 


109 


CHAFTEE  XI. 

SEVERAL  days  had  passed  since  Eva's  un- 
successful attempt  at  trade.  The  winter  had 
really  come  now ;  snow  lay  glittering  on  the 
ground,  and  Lilian  had  been  obliged  to  buy 
more  coal,  which  very  much  lightened  her 
already  light  purse.  It  was  a  bitter  cold 
morning.  The  orphans  had  eaten  nothing 
since  noon  of  the  previous  day.  Lilian  sat 
with  her  head  bowed  on  one  hand,  gazing 
wistfully  upon  the  solitary  dime  which  she 
held  in  the  other.  It  was  the  last  of  her  little 
hoard,  and  Eva,  wrapped  in  cloak  and  hood, 
stood  before  her,  ready  to  go  out  and  ex- 
change it  for  the  bread  they  -so  much  needed. 
The  child  guessed  what  gloomy  forebodings 
cast  their  shadow  over  her  sister's  brow  as 
she  looked  at  the  little  coin,  and  thought  it  a 
favorable  moment  to  again  urge  her  plan  of 
relief.  Going  quickly  to  the  closet,  she  re- 


110 

turned  with  the  basket,  from  which  they  had 
not  yet  removed  the  pretty  toys  on  which  her 
hopes  still  rested.  "  Sister  Lillie,"  she  said 
pleadingly,  "  mayn't  I  try  to  sell  these  now  ?  " 

"  Yon  have  tried,  child." 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  mean,  can  I  take  them  and 
go  and  sit  on  some  steps  in  Broadway  where 
the  people  can  see  them  ?  and  then,  when  they 
stop  to  look,  I  can  tell  how  much  we  need 
the  money,  and  I  am  sure  somebody  would  • 
buy.  Please  let  me  go,  Lillie." 

"  Get  the  bread  first,  dear,"  Lilian  replied, 
in  a  low,  trembling  voice.  Eva  needed  no 
second  bidding.  Glad  of  the  implied  consent 
which  her  sister  had  given  to  her  request,  and 
urged  on  by  her  own  keen  appetite,  she  al- 
most flew  to  the  nearest  bakery,  and  soon 
returned  with  the  loaf  which  was  to  supply 
them  with  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper. 

Lilian  cut  the  small  portion  which  must 
satisfy  their  present  want,  and  the  young  sis- 
ters ate  their  scanty  meal  in  silence.  Lilian 
grew  sick  at  heart  as  she  thought  of  her  pet- 
ted darling  encountering  all  the  hardships 
and  abuse  which  she  imagined  must  be  the 
inevitable  lot  of  the  little  street  merchants, 
whom  she  had  so  often  looked  upon  with  pity, 
without  dreaming  that  her  own  little  Eva 
would  ever  share  their  experience  ;  but  there 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  Ill 

seemed  no  other  hope,  and  she  dared  not 
longer  refuse  the  child's  entreaty. 

Brave  little  Eva  felt  no  fear,  and,  when 
Lilian  had  given  her  a  parting  kiss,  and  many 
injunctions  to  be  careful  in  crossing  the 
streets,  and,  above  all,  to  be  sure  to  come 
home  if  anything  troubled  her,  she  took  her 
basket  on  her  arm,,  and  trudged  off  to  seek 
her  fortune,  as  she  said. 

She  had  decided  to  take  her  stand  some- 
where in  Broadway,  but,  as  she  walked  down 
that  gay  thoroughfare,  she  was  somewhat  at 
a  loss  what  spot  to  choose,  until,  coming  to 
St.  Paul's  churchyard,  her  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  an  old  blind  organ  grinder  who 
had  stationed  himself  there,  and,  with  his  be- 
numbed fingers,  was  perseveringly  turning 
the  crank  of  his  instrument,  though  the 
music  that  he  thus  set  free  was  drowned  by 
the  countless  harsher  sounds  which  filled  the 
air.  His  face  wore  a  sad  yet  patient  expres- 
sion, and  his  long,  white  beard  gave  him  a 
very  venerable  look.  Not  far  from  him, 
seated  on  the  stone  work  which  supported  the 
iron  fence  before  the  church,  was  a  black 
woman,  who,  notwithstanding  the  biting 
coldness  of  the  morning,  was  knitting  as  in- 
dustriously as  if  she  was  sitting  at  her  own 
fireside.  By  her  side  was  a  little  stand,  cov- 


112 

ered  with  apples  and  oranges.  Seeing  Eva 
stop  and  look  toward  her,  the  woman  pointed 
to  her  fruit :  "Buy  some  apples  or  a  nice 
orange,  little  miss  ?  "  she  asked,  with  a  good- 
natured  smile. 

The  child  hesitated  a  moment,  then  step- 
ping close  to  her  side,  she  said,  half  timidly, 
half  confidingly : 

"  I  have  no  money  to  buy  anything,  but  I 
have  some  little  things  in  my  basket  that  I 
want  to  sell.  May  I  sit  by  you  and  try  if 
any  one  will  buy  them  ?  " 

'  The  woman  seemed  surprised,  and  glanced 
inquiringly  at  Eva,  as  if  she  wondered  that  a 
little  girl  so  nicely  dressed  and  evidently  so 
well  cared  for  should  be  out  so  cold  a  morn- 
ing on  such  an  errand.  Then,  apparently 
concluding  that  it  was  only  a  plan  of  the 
child's  to  gain  more  pocket  money  for  herself 
than  she  was  allowed  to  have,  and  that  she 
was  probably  out  without  leave,  she  said, 
rather  coldly : 

"  I  tink,  miss,  dat  you  had  better  go 
home,  and  leave  sech  work  for  poor  chil'en." 

Eva  saw  the  change  in  her  manner,  and 
guessed  the  cause. 

"  Indeed,"  she  exclaimed,  "  we  are  very 
poor  ;  we  have  only  part  of  a  loaf  of  bread  at 
home,  and  not  a  cent  of  money.  My  sister 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  113 

cannot  get  any  work,  and  I  don't  know  wliat 
we  shall  do  if  I  can't  sell  these." 

The  woman  was  used  to  the  study  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  readily  saw  that  the  child 
spoke  the  truth.  By  means  of  a  few  kindly 
put  questions,  she  induced  her  to  tell  enough 
of  her  own  and  her  sister's  past  history  to 
enlist  all  the  sympathies  of  her  warm,  honest 
heart  in  their  behalf.  Many  a  time  in  this 
world  is  it  found  to  be  true  that  those  who 
are  most  willing  to  help  the  struggling  poor 
are  they  who  themselves  know  the  bitterness 
of  poverty ;  so  in  this  case  the  little  orphan 
found  a  much  needed  friend  in  the  poor  negro 
woman,  who  earned  her  own  scanty  living  in 
the  same  way  as  that  to  which  she  looked 
with  so  much  hopefulness ;  and  she  proved 
herself  not  only  a  friend  in  need,  but  a  friend 
indeed.  She  selected  the  sunniest  place  for 
her  little  protegee,  and  helped  her  to  arrange 
her  wares  in  the  most  attractive  manner  on 
the  stone  coping  which  was  to  serve  her  as 
both  counter  and  seat.  Then,  bidding  her 
"  keep  a  good  heart,"  she  left  her,  and  went 
back  to  her  own  neglected  stall  just  in  time 
to  see  two  chubby  school  boys,  who  were  her 
daily  customers,  pass  on  with  a  disappointed 
air,  evidently  wondering  that  she  was  not  in 
her  accustomed  place,  ready  to  serve  them 


114:  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

with  her  luscious  fruit.  The  poor  woman 
sighed,  for  her  daily  income  was  small,  and 
these  boys  were  very  desirable  patrons,  with 
their  endless  supply  of  half-dimes  and  pen- 
nies, and  their  insatiable  appetite  for  apples 
and  oranges.  But  that  she  felt  no  ill  will  for 
the  little  girl  who  had  been  the  innocent 
cause  of  her  loss,  was  evident  not  only  from 
the  kindly  glances  which  she  cast  toward  her, 
but  also  from  the  fact  that  she  presently  rose, 
selected  the  largest  and  ruddiest  apple  on  her 
table,  and,  hastening  to  where  Eva  sat  anx- 
iously watching  the  passers-by,  placed  it  in 
her  hand,  and,  with  a  smile  and  a  nod,  hurried 
back  to  her  own  seat  without  waiting  for  thanks. 
Oh,  how  eagerly  little  Eva  devoured  the  rosy 
apple !  She  had  tried  to  fancy  that  the 
morning's  meagre  breakfast  was  a  very 
hearty  meal,  and  that  she  should  not  be 
hungry  again  all  day ;  but  her  walk  in  the 
sharp,  frosty  air  had  added  keenness  to  her 
half-satisfied  appetite,  and  she  was  beginning 
to  feel  sick  with  hunger,  when  this  new  but 
true  friend  placed  the  fruit  in  her  hand. 

Eva  had  just  finished  the  apple,  and  was 
looking  earnestly  toward  the  black  woman's 
stand,  striving  to  catch  her  eye,  that  she 
might  smile  back  her  thanks,  when  two 
ladies  stopped  suddenly  before  her,  one  of 


"  KEEP   A   GOOD   HEART."  115 

them  exclaiming  to  the  other,  "  Look,  sister, 
one  of  these  little  hats  would  be  the  very 
thing  for  Bessie's  new  doll."  The  lady  thus 
appealed  to  took  from  a  paper  parcel  in  her 
hand  a  china  doll's  head,  and  began  trying 
on  to  it  first  one  and  then  another  of  the 
dainty  little  bonnets  which  formed  so  impor- 
tant a  part  of  the  young  adventurer's  stock  in 
trade.  One  was  too  small,  another  too  large, 
and  the  cplor  of  a  third  did  not  suit.  How 
anxiously  Eva  watched  them !  how  disheart- 
eningly  each  objection  fell  upon  her  quick 
ears,  and  what  a  great  bound  her  heart  gave, 
when  at  last  her  fastidious  customers  hit  upon 
one  which  they  pronounced  "just  right"! 
For  a  moment  she  could  scarce  gain  self-pos- 
session enough  to  tell  the  price,  and  for  many 
moments  after  the  ladies  had  passed  on  she 
sat  looking  at  the  two  shining  little  bits  of 
silver  that  lay  in  her  hand,  while  tears  of  joy 
sparkled  in  Jier  bright  blue  eyes.  She  longed 
to  run  home  and  show  Lilian  this  first  fruit 
'of  their  united  labor — but  that  was  impossi- 
ble ;  so  at  last  she  put  the  money  into  her  little 
empty  purse,  and,  with  renewed  hope  and  faith, 
sat  patiently  waiting  for  more  customers. 

Presently  an  old  lady  stopped  and  looked 
over  her  little  stock  of  goods,  but  evidently 
without  much  satisfaction. 


116 

"  Haven't  you  got  any  needle-books  ?  " 
she  said3  turning  sharply  toward  Eva. 

"  No,  ma'am — I'm  very  sorry  ;  but  I  will 
ask  my  sister  to  make  some  to-morrow,"  in- 
nocently replied  our  little  heroine. 

"  Huniph !  do  you  suppose  I'm  going  to 
stand  here  till  to-morrow  waiting  for  them  ?  " 
said  the  crusty  old  lady,  as  she  turned  away 
and  was  lost  in  the  crowd.  Next  came  a 
jolly-looking  old  gentleman,  with  a  broad, 
ruddy  face,  and  a  pair  of  twinkling  eyes,  that 
would  not  stay  still  long  enough  for  you  to 
tell  what  color  they  were.  He  paused  di- 
rectly before  Eva,  and,  leaning  with  both 
hands  on  his  gold-headed  cane,  he  surveyed 
her  and  her  wares  for  a  moment  in  silence. 
Then,  in  a  rich,  cheery  voice,  that  rang  out 
through  his  white  mustache  like  the  sound 
of  sleigh  bells  through  a  fall  of  snow,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  "Well,  little  girl,  you  have  some 
mighty  pretty  things  here  ;  I  wonder  if  there 
is  not  something  that  will  do  for  my  little 
boy."  At  the  last  word  Eva's  countenance 
fell,  and  she  looked  dubiously  at  her  collec- 
tion of  toys  ;  then  turning  her  eyes  pleadingly 
to  the  great,  good-natured  face  that  was  look- 
ing down  upon  her,  she  said  earnestly,  "  I 
don't  believe  that  I  have  a  single  thing  that  a 
boy  would  like ;  but  have  you  not  a  little 


117 

girl,  who  would  want  a  bonnet  or  a  chair  for 
her  doll?" 

The  fleshy  gentleman  indulged  in  a  short, 
merry  laugh ;  then  suddenly  looking  very 
grave,  he  said,  "  Why,  no  !  I  can't  say  that  1 
have  any  little  girl  of  my  own,  but  then,  you 
know,  if  one  should  come  to  see  me,  it  would 
be  very  nice  to  have  the  playthings  all  ready ; 
so  I  will  take  a  bonnet,  and  a  chair  too,  but 
you  must  select  them,  for  I  can't  tell  which  is 
the  prettiest.  And  what  is  this  ?  "  he  con- 
tinued, while  Eva  was  conscientiously  endeav- 
oring to  decide  as  to  the  respective  merits  of 
a  red  chair  and  a  green  one. 

"  That,  sir,"  she  answered,  hastily  con- 
cluding in  favor  of  the  red,  and  looking  up  to 
see  what  it  was  he  held  in  his  hand,  "  that  is 
a  workbasket." 

"  A  workbasket,  is  it  ?  "  said  the  odd  old 
gentleman,  with  a  chuckle  that  made  his 
broad  sides  shake  again ;  "  well,  I  should 
think  that  would  hold  just  such  a  homoeo- 
pathic dose  of  work  as  my  wife  will  be  likely 
to  accomplish,  so  I  will  take  that  too.  Now, 
what  is  my  bill  ?  "  he  added,  taking  out  his 
purse  with  a  flourish.  Eva  slowly  counted 
upon  her  fingers  the  value  of  his  purchases^ 
and  then,  in  a  voice  that  trembled  with  fear 
lest  he  should  be  angry  at  the  magnitude  of 


118 

the    sum,   announced  it  to   be    seventy-five 
cents. 

"  Well,  there — never  mind  the  change, 
child;"  and  away  went  the  great  fat  man, 
with  the  gay  little  basket  dangling  at  his 
finger  ends,  while  in  Eva's  lap  lay  a  bright 
gold  dollar,  looking  all  the  brighter  from  con- 
trast with  her  black  dress. 

The  child  began  to  think  she  was  in  a  fair 
way  to  make  her  fortune,  and  could  not  help 
indulging  in  one  or  two  joyful  little  hops, 
when  she  thought  how  glad  Lilian  would  be 
to  hear  of  her  good  luck.  But  just  then  two 
great  boys  came  loitering  along,  with  what 
seemed  a  number  of  strings  hanging  over 
their  shoulders. 

"  Come,  let's  stop  here,  Bill,"  said  one  to 
his  companion,  as  he  stepped  directly  in  front 
of  Eva,  and  blew  a  shrill  blast  on  a  brass 
whistle  which  he  held  in  his  hand.  The  little 
girl  was  not  much  pleased  with  her  new 
neighbors,  particularly  when  she  discovered 
that  at  the  end  of  each  of  the  strings  that 
they  carried  was  suspended  a  large  artificial 
spider,  which,  with  long,  quivering  legs  and 
bloated  bodies,  bore  so  close  a  resemblance  to 
the  ugly  reptile  which  they  were  intended  to 
imitate,  that  she  felt  almost  afraid  of  them, 
although  she  well  knew  they  were  only 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEABT."  119 

bits  of  wood  and  wire.  She  kept  very  quiet, 
earnestly  hoping  that  the  boys  would  move 
on  ;  but  they  showed  no  disposition  to  do  so. 
The  shrill  noise  of  the  whistle  was  kept  up 
incessantly,  and  they  jerked  their  ugly  toys 
about,  making  them  squirm  and  wriggle  in  a 
most  hideous  manner,  much  to  Eva's  disgust, 
though  greatly  to  the  delight  of  a  crowd  of 
boys  who  had  collected  around  them,  and 
were  vociferously  striving  to  make  them 
lower  the  price  of  the  spiders  to  correspond 
with  the  state  of  their  own  finances.  As  yet 
they  had  taken  no  notice  of  Eva,  and  she 
began  to  think  how  she  could  escape  from 
their  vicinity  without  attracting  their  atten- 
tion, when  one  of  them,  stepping  backward, 
threw  himself  against  the  fence,  never  heed- 
ing that,  as  he  did  so,  the  long,  ragged  skirt 
of  his  coat  swept  her  basket  to  the  ground, 
and  quite  spoiled  the  tasteful  arrangement  of 
her  entire  stock. 

"  Hello,  Tom  !  "  exclaimed  his  comrade, 
"  you're  knocking  that  young  un's  things  all 
into  pi ;  why  can't  you  move  on  ?  " 

"  What  do  I  care  for  the  young  un,  or  her 
things  either  ?  "  gruffly  returned  Tom,  at  the 
same  time  swinging  one  of  his  horrid  spiders 
in  the  face  of  Eva,  who  had  stooped  to  rescue 
her  property,  which  lay  so  dangerously  near 


120 

his  feet.  The  poor  child  could  not  suppress  a 
cry  of  terror,  at  which,  the  boys  raised  a  ma- 
licious laugh,  even  Bill  joining  in  their  mirth, 
as  if  ashamed  that  he  had  shown  himself  less 
brutal  than  the  others.  Eva  hastily  repacked 
her  basket,  and,  escaping  from  the  noisy 
throng,  made  her  way  back  to  the  good  black 
woman's  side. 

"  Please  let  me  sit  near  you,"  she  pleaded, 
laying  her  little  trembling  hand  on  the 
brawny  arm  of  her  friend ;  "  I  am  afraid  of 
those  boys." 

"  "What's  dem  been  a  doin'  to  yer  ?  Only 

let  me  git  a  hold  of  'em,  an'  I'll "  *  What 

she  would  have  done,  in  case  they  had  fallen 
into  her  hands,  could  only  be  inferred  from 
the  energetic  manner  in  which  she  shook  her 
fist  toward  them  ;  for,  as  she  started  up  to 
carry  her  vague  threat  into  effect,  Eva  caught 
her  hand,  exclaiming,  "  Don't  do  anything  to 
them  ;  indeed  they  did  not  hurt  me — they 
only  frightened  me,  and  that,  you  know,"  she 
continued,  as  her  champion  resumed  her  seat, 
"  that,  you  know,  they  cannot  do  again  if  you 
let  me  stay  by  you." 

"  Let  yer  stay  by  me,  chile  ?  ob  course  I 
will,  and  be  mighty  glad  ob  yer  company, 
too.  And  even  if  I  wa'n't,  why,  honey,  dis 
is  a  free  country,  and  eberybody  has  a  right 
to  go  or  stay  whar  dey's  a  mind  to?" 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAET."  121 

Eva  opened  her  eyes  very  wide  at  this 
new  declaration  of  independence,  but  her 
honest  friend,  without  heeding  her  astonish- 
ment, talked  on,  while  she  once  more  helped 
her  to  arrange  her  temporary  counter. 

"  Now,  chile,  it'll  be  rale  nice  to  have  yer 
so  nigh  ;  it'll  be  somebody  to  speak  to  onc't 
in  a  while.  I'd  a  had  yer  here  at  fust,  only  I 
tought  maybe  if  yer  was  off  by  yerself  the 
folks  would  feel  more  kinder  sorry  like  for 
yer,  and  more  likely  buy  yer  things  ;  but  lor', 
honey,  it's  jest  the  same  as  if  yer  was  alone 
now,  for  a  blind  man  could  see  dat  sech  a 
little  picter  as  you  be,  wid  yer  white  face  and 
yeller  hair,  couldn't  belong  to  Nancy  Jen- 
kins." 

a  What  is  it  you  say  about  the  blind  man, 
Mrs.  Jenkins  ?  You  mistake  ;  the  blind  man 
no  can  tell  the  fair  face  from  the  dark,  but  he 
know  the  beauty  of  good  deeds  and  kind 
words ;  so  if  the  little  child  have  a  good 
heart,  and  speak  the  good  words,  then  the 
blind  man  say  she  have  beauty  like  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins— perhaps  she  her  little  child." 

Eva  looked  up  at  the  speaker  with  a  half 
amused,  half  pitying  expression  on  her  bright 
little  face.  It  was  the  old  organ  grinder, 
who,  wearied  with  his  fruitless  labor,  had 
drawn  closer  to  Mrs.  Jenkins'  fruit  stand, 


122 

and,  while  he  stood  resting  his  instrument 
against  the  fence,  overheard  the  conversation 
between  the  good  woman  and  her  little  pro- 
tegee. Mrs.  Jenkins  (for  so  we  must  hereafter 
call  Eva's  humble  friend)  turned  toward  him 
with  a  laugh,  exclaiming,  "  Lor',  Mr.  Antho- 
ny !  you " — but  just  then  a  customer  pre- 
sented himself,  and  she  left  her  sentence  un- 
finished: as  the  old  man  presently  resumed 
his  grinding,  there  was  no  occasion  to  renew 
the  subject ;  so  Eva,  as  well  as  you  and  I, 
was  left  in  the  dark  as  to  what  reply  Mrs. 
Jenkins  would  have  made  to  the  foreigner's 
compliment. 

Eva  watched  the  old  man  with  much  in- 
terest. How  quickly  the  pleasant  smile,  that 
had  lighted  up  his  face  while  he  spoke,  faded 
away,  and  the  mournful  expression  that 
seemed  habitual  returned.  She  quite  forgot 
her  own  troubles  in  sympathy  for  the  un- 
known sorrow  of  the  aged  stranger ;  and 
when,  from  time  to  time,  a  compassionate 
passer-by  dropped  a  penny  into  his  out- 
stretched hand,  she  felt  as  glad  as  if  some 
good  fortune  had  befallen  herself.  But  you. 
must  not  think  our  little  heroine  had  nothing 
to  do  but  watch  her  neighbors.  She  must 
keep  an  eye  on  her  goods,  to  see  that  no  evil 
happened  to  them,  and  answer  the  number- 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  123 

less  questions  as  to  the  price  of  this  or  that,, 
which  were  asked  and  answered  so  often  to 
no  purpose ;  and  when  she  did  occasionally 
effect  a  sale,  what  a  tax  it  was  on  her  arith- 
metic to  make  the  change !  She  was  very 
busy,  I  assure  you,  all  that  cold  winter's  day, 
and,  when  the  early  twilight  began  to  gather 
its  shadows  over  the  city,  she  was  very  glad 
to  pack  up  the  remaining  toys  and  hurry 
home.  But  first  she  paused  to  bid  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins good-bye,  and  tell  her  that  she  would  be 
there  again  in  the  morning.  Then  stepping 
quickly  up  to  the  blind  man,  and  slipping  a 
half  dime  into  his  hand,  she  bounded  away  ; 
nor  was  it  long  before  she  was  seated  on  her 
sister's  lap,  telling  the  adventures  of  the  day. 
Lilian  was  both  surprised  and  rejoiced  at  the 
success  of  her  little  sister's  experiment.  She 
had  passed  a  sad,  lonely  day,  striving  in  vain 
to  think  of  some  way  by  which  she  might 
procure  bread  for  herself  and  the  child  whom 
her  dying  mother  had  committed  to  her  care. 
Her  cough  had  been  more  than  usually 
troublesome,  and  she  would  start  with  terror, 
and  strive  to  shake  off  the  feeling  of  lassitude, 
as  she  thought,  "  "What  will  become  of  Eva  if 
I  die?"  She  longed  for  the  child's  return, 
though  she  doubted  not  it  would  be  empty- 
handed,  as  she  went ;  and,  as  hour  after  hour 


124: 

passed  by  without  her  coming,  she  grew  fear- 
ful lest  some  accident  had  befallen  her.  But 
now  this  greatest  trouble  was  at  an  end  ;  she 
held  the  little  wanderer  safe  in  her  arms,  and 
could  hardly  believe  her  senses  as  she  counted 
out,  from  the  purse  that  she  had  placed  empty 
in  her  hands  that  morning,  two  whole  dollars. 
Oh  !  how  Eva  enjoyed  her  surprise,  and  what 
a  nice  supper  they  had  that  night,  and  what 
a  famous  appetite  the  little  merchant  brought 
to  bear  upon  it,  and  how  sweetly  she  slept, 
when  she  had  said  her  prayers  and  thanked 
the  good  God  for  taking  care  of  her  through 
all  that  eventful  day. 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  125 


CHAPTEE   XII. 

FOB  many  succeeding   days  Eva  might 

have  been   seen  regularly   at  her  post.     In 

spite  of  the  hard  times,  people  were  looking 

forward  to  the  holidays,  and  this  made  trade 

brisk    for    our    young    merchant.       Indeed, 

Lilian,   with  her   aching  head   and  racking 

cough,  found  it  difficult  to  make  the  supply 

meet  the  demand.     Ah !  there  was  the  one 

drawback  to  Eva's  happiness.      She  did  not 

mind  that  the  cold  pinched  her  fingers  and 

benumbed  her  feet,  while  sitting  or  standing 

all  day  long  in  the  open  air ;  she  cared  not  that 

she  had  no  time  to  play,  and  but  an  hour  or 

two  in  the  early  morning  for  study — all  this 

was  merely  her  own  loss  or  inconvenience ; 

and  if  ever   she  felt  like  repining,  she  had 

only  to  look  at  "  little  Faith "  treading  her 

stony,  wave-washed  path,  and  her  cheerful 

courage  would  return.     But  when  she   saw 


126  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

her  sweet  sister  Lillie  daily  growing  paler  and 
more  languid,  and  listened  to  her  hollow 
cough  as  she  plied  her  ever  busy  needle,  her 
little  heart  would  swell,  and  the  tears  would 
fill  her  bright  eyes,  in  spite  of  her  efforts  to 
keep  them  down.  Still  she  was  on  the  whole 
a  happy  little  thing.  Mrs.  Jenkins  continued 
to  be  her  fast  friend,  the  old  organ  man's 
mournful  face  would  light  up  with  a  smile  of 
welcome  when  he  heard  her  voice,  and  if  she 
left  home  feeling  ever  so  sadly  in  the  morning, 
hope  kept  whispering  to  her  all  the  way, 
"  Lillie  will  be  better  to-morrow,"  until  she 
felt  quite  sure  it  must  be  so,  and  ten  chances 
to  one  she  would  join  her  humble  friends  with 
a  song  on  her  lips,  and  all  the  tears  in  her 
eyes  turned  to  bright  sparkles. 

One  morning,  however,  she  came  later 
than  usual,  and  Mrs.  Jenkins,  who  was  watch- 
ing for  her  with  some  anxiety,  was  alarmed 
as  she  saw  with  what  slow,  languid  steps  she 
approached,  and  that  her  sweet  face  wore  a 
look  of  distress,  such  as  she  had  never  seen 
there  before. 

"  Why,  what's  der  matter  wid  yer,  honey  !  " 
she  exclaimed,  opening  her  arms  to  receive 
her  little  favorite.  Eva,  unable  to  speak,  hid 
her  face  on  the  good  woman's  bosom  and 
sobbed  aloud. 


127 

"  Lor'  sates !  don't  cry  so,  chile,  but  jes' 
tell  old  Aunty  what  troubles  her  pet." 

Thus  urged,  Eva  checked  her  sobs,  and  in 
a  few  broken  words  told  the  cause  of  her  grief. 
Lilian  was  sick,  so  sick  as  to  be  unable  to  rise 
from  her  bed,  and  the  undefined  fear  with 
which  the  child  had  looked  at  her  flushed  face 
and  marked  her  labored  breathing,  was  in- 
creased to  absolute  terror  when  she  overheard 
Mrs.  Havens  say  to  one  of  her  boarders,  "  I 
don't  believe  that  poor  girl  will  ever  live 
through  this  attack.  Hard  work  and  trouble 
have  about  used  up  what  little  strength  she 
had  to  begin  with." 

Poor  little  Eva  !  the  cloud  which  had  thus 
suddenly  gathered  about  her  was  so  very 
dark  that  even  the  eye  of  faith  with  which  she 
had  learned  to  look  beyond  her  many  trials 
was  at  first  unable  to  pierce  its  obscurity.  She 
would  gladly  have  remained  with  her  sister, 
but  it  was  more  than  ever  necessary  that  she 
should  earn  something  to  supply  their  in- 
creasing wants  ;  so  when  Jennie  Havens  came 
to  the  room  and  said  that  her  mother  had 
sent  her  to  sit  with  Lilian,  she  took  up  her 
basket,  and  for  the  first  time  went  reluctantly 
to  her  self-appointed  task.  But,  as  we  have 
seen,  there  were  those  awaiting  her  who  were 
ready  to  share  her  grief,  and  to  impart  all  the 


128 

consolation  it  was  in  their  power  to  give. 
Indeed,  good,  honest-hearted  Mrs.  Jenkins 
told  of  so  many  people  who  had  been  "  tuck 
in  jest  sech  a  way,"  who  were  "  well  and 
hearty  now,"  that  the  child  felt  somewhat 
comforted,  and  the  blind  man's  words  of  sym- 
pathy, mingled  as  they  were  with  the  musical 
terms  of  endearment  that  enrich  his  own  lan- 
guage, were  very  soothing  to  her  little  aching 
heart.  Still  the  day  passed  wearily,  and  she 
longed  for  its  close,  that  she  might  hasten 
back  to  Lilian's  bedside. 

It  was  almost  with  joy  that  she  hailed 
the  first  glimmering  of  the  street  lights,  the 
signal  which  released  her  from  her  post.  She 
was  hurrying  her  remaining  toys  into  the  bas- 
ket, when  Mrs.  Jenkins  laid  her  hand  on  her 
shoulder,  saying,  u  Look-. '-here,  honey,  yer 
jes'  tell  me  der  number  ob  yer  house,  an'  den 
jes'  as  soon  as  I've  seed  Mr.  Anthony  home 
(yer  know  I  allus  do  that  since  his  little  gran'- 
son's  been  sick),  an'  stopped  in  ter  see  how 
my  ole  man's  gettin'  along,  I'll  come  round 
ter  fin'  out  how  yer  sister  is,  an'  maybe  I  can 
be  of  some  kind  er  sarvice." 

This  was  the  very  thing  that  Eva  had 
been  wishing  for  all  day  ;  but  she  knew  how 
little  leisure  time  her  friend  had,  and  did  not 
quite  like  to  ask  her  to  take  so  long  a  walk 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  129 

after  the  day's  toil.  Now,  however,  that  she 
had  herself  made  the  proposition,  the  child 
was  not  slow  to  express  her  pleasure  at  the 
proposed  visit,  and  repeating  for  the  third  or 
fourth  time,  "  Number  eighty-two ;  please 
don't  forget  to  come,  Mrs.  Jenkins,"  she 
caught  up  her  basket  and  hastened  away. 
She  still  bore  a  heavy  heart,  but  already  there 
were  gleams  of  brightness  breaking  through 
the  clouds  that  shut  out  her  sunlight,  and  she 
began  once  more  to  hope  "  Lillie  would  be 
better  to-morrow,"  and  to  look  with  her  old 
faith  to  the  guiding  hand  of  her  Heavenly 
Father. 

She  had  need  of  all  the  comfort  that  hope 
and  faith  could  bring  to  her  when  she  reached 
home,  and,  creeping  noiselessly  to  her  sister's 
bedside,  saw  the  change  that  a  few  hours  had 
wrought.  Lilian's  eyes  were  wandering 
wildly  from  object  to  object,  while  she 
talked  constantly  of  the  scenes  familiar  to 
her  childhood,  as  if  she  thought  she  was  still 
a  child  in  her  dear  old  home.  Poor  little 
Eva,  frightened  at  her  strange  manner, 
caught  her  hand,  crying  out,  "  Don't  look 
so,  Lillie  !  oh,  speak  to  me  !  "  but  the  restless 
eyes,  after  turning  upon  her  for  a  moment 
with  a  vacant  gaze,  wandered  away  again 
without  a  sign  of  recognition. 


130  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAHT." 

Mrs.  Havens,  who  was  sitting  by  the  bed, 
rose,  and,  taking  the  terrified  child  by  the 
hand,  led  her  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  room. 

"  Eva,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  your 
sister  is  very  sick  indeed.  She  has  been  out 
of  her  head  for  more*  than  two  hours.  You 
must  not  try  to  talk  to  her,  for  she  does  not 
know  you,  and  it  will  only  worry  her." 

"  "Won't  she  ever  know  me  again  ? " 
sobbed  Eva,  the  tears  rolling  down  her  little 
pale  face. 

"  Hush  !  Yes,  I  hope  so ;  but  you  must 
be  quiet  now,  and  listen  to  me ; "  then,  after 
waiting  a  moment  for  the  little  girl  to  con- 
quer her  emotion,  she  continued :  "  I  have 
sent  Jennie  for  a  doctor — he  has  not  come 
yet ;  but  I  am  afraid  this  is  a  very  dangerous 
illness,  and  that  your  sister  will  be  sick  a  long 
time,  even  if  she  recovers  at  last.  Have  you 
no  friends  who  could  take  her  to  their  home, 
or  at  least  come  here  and  take  care  of  her  ?  " 
Eva  shook  her  head,  and  her  tears  burst  forth 
afresh.  "  Then,  child,"  she  resumed  in  a 
troubled  voice,  "  I  am  afraid  she  must  go 
where  she  can  receive  better  attendance  than 
I  am  able  to  give.  *  At  the  hospital  she  would 
be  well  cared  for,  without  any  expense,  and  I 
think,  Eva,  that,  if  the  doctor  says  she  can  be 
moved  without  danger,  it  will  be  best  to  send 
her  there." 


131 

Mrs.  Havens  had  endeavored  to  break  the 
subject  cautiously  and  kindly  to  the  little 
orphan,  and  was  not  prepared  for  the  passion- 
ate burst  of  grief  and  dismay  with  which  it 
was  received. 

"  You  sha'n't  send  my  sister  away  to  that 
horrid  place  !  "  she  exclaimed,  crying  as  if  her 
very  heart  would  break.  All  efforts  that 
Mrs.  Havens  made  to  soothe  her  were  for  a 
time  useless,  for  Eva  shrank  from  her  as  if  she 
considered  her  a  heartless  enemy.  Finally, 
raising  the  little  quivering  form  to  her  lap, 
she  said  sadly,  "  My  child,  I  am  very  sorry 
for  you  and  for  Lilian ;  you  must  not  think 
what  I  have  been  saying  was  spoken  in  un- 
kindness.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  keep  her 
here,  but  it  is  impossible.  How  could  we 
even  pay  the  physician's  fee  ?  I  am  poor 
myself,  Eva." 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  the  child,  brightening, 
"  I  can  make  money  enough  for  that ;  see,  I 
made  all  this  to-day,"  and  she  emptied  the 
contents  of  her  purse  upon  the  table. 

"  I  see  you  have  done  very  well ;  but  you 
must  remember  that  Lilian  will  not  be  able  to 
make  any  more  articles  for  you  to  sell.  Then 
there  is  still  another  objection  to  your  sister's 
remaining  here.  She  will  require  constant 
watching  and  attention;  you  are  too  young 


132 

to  be  trusted,  and  I  don't  see  what  time  I  can 
have  for  it.  You  know  that,  since  Ellen  went 
ont  West  and  I  dismissed  Bridget,  I  have  all 
the  house  work  to  do,  and  no  oue  to  help  me 
in  anything." 

Eva  saw  the  truth  of  all  this,  and  sat  for 
a  moment  lost  in  thought ;  then,  looking  up, 
she  said  :  "I  am  sorry  1  spoke  so  naughty  to 
you,  Mrs.  Havens.  You  know  better  than  I 
what  ought  to  be  done  ;  but  mayn't  I  go  with 
Lillie  ? " 

"  We  will  talk  about  that  some  other 
time.  Here  comes  the  doctor ; "  and  Mrs. 
Havens,  hastily  kissing  the  child,  put  her 
from  her  lap,  and,  stepping  to  the  door,  ad- 
mitted the  physician,  whose  footstep  she  had 
heard  on  the  stairs. 

Dr.  H pronounced  Lilian's  illness  to 

be  of  a  very  serious  character,  and  agreed 
with  Mrs.  Havens  that,  under  the  circum- 
stances, it  would  be  best  to  take  her  to  the 
hospital.  He  promised  to  make  all  necessary 
arrangements,  and  to  come  himself  in  the 
morning  to  superintend  the  removal. 

"  Please  let  me  go  with  my  sister," 
pleaded  little  Eva,  laying  her  dimpled  hand 
on  his,  as  he  turned  the  door-knob  to  leave 
the  room  ;  "  please  let  me  go  with  my  sister." 

"  Why,  that  is  impossible,  my  poor  child," 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  133 

he  said  pityingly ;  "  but  don't  cry,  you  shall 
be  taken  care  of."  Then  turning  to  Mrs. 
Havens :  "  You  say,  ma'am,  that  they  are 
orphans  and  without  friends  ;  would  it  not  be 
well  to  get  the  little  one  admitted  into  one  of 
the  orphan  asylums  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  no  !  "  replied  the  good  lady, 
in  evident  distress.  "It  is  bad  enough  to 
send  Lilian  away  when  it  is  for  her  own  good. 
The  child  can  just  as  well  stay  here  as  not ; 
she  will  be  no  kind  of  trouble  to  me  ;  she  is 
such  a  smart  little  thing,  she  can  take  care  of 
herself." 

"There,  my  dear,"  said  the  doctor,  strok- 
ing Eva's  curls,  "  you  must  be  a  good  girl, 
and  not  cry  any  more.  Mrs.  Havens  is  very 
kind  to  keep  you  here.  I  hope  your  sister 
will  soon  be  better,  and  I  will  see  that  you 
are  allowed  to  visit  her  every  day  T\hile  she 
is  at  the  hospital." 

This  promise  was  some  consolation  to  the 
poor  child,  and,  feeling  that  she  must  prove 
herself  worthy  of  the  privilege,  she  dried  her 
eyes  and  determinately  kept  down  the  sobs 
that  were  struggling  for  utterance.  "When 

Dr.  H had  gone,  Mrs.  Havens  stationed 

her  at  Lilian's  bedside,  telling  her  to  remain 
there  and  keep  very  still,  while  she  "  ran 
down  to  see  about  the  tea."  Eva  had  been 


134 

sitting  some  time  in  the  darkened  room,  lis- 
tening in  silent  dread  to  her  sister's  uncon- 
scious mutterings,  and  striving  not  to  think 
of  to-morrow,  when,  hearing  a  gentle  tap  at 
the  door,  she  softly  opened  it,  and  there,  to 
her  unspeakable  joy,  stood  her  friend  the 
apple  woman,  whose  kind,  dark  face  seemed 
really  beautiful  to  the  weary,  sorrowful  child. 

As  soon  as  she  understood  the  exact  state 
of  the  t  case,  Mrs.  Jenkins  announced  her  de- 
termination to  stay  all  night  and  make  her- 
self generally  useful,  much  to  the  relief  of 
Mrs.  Havens  and  the  satisfaction  of  Eva,  who 
felt  the  cheering  influence  of  her  pleasant 
voice,  and  quiet  though  bustling  industry,  as 
she  busied  herself  about  the  rooms,  "  putting 
things  to  rights,"  as  she  called  it. 

At  last  Lilian,  quieted  by  the  effect  of 

medicine  that  Dr.  H had  left  for  her,  fell 

asleep.  This,  Mrs.  Jenkins  whispered  to  Eva, 
was  a  "  berry  favo'ble  sign,"  and,  leading  her 
into  the  other  room  the  good  woman  made 
her  sit  in  her  little  chair  by  the  fire,  while  she 
toasted  a  slice  of  bread  and  warmed  a  cup  of 
milk  for  her.  When  the  dainty  repast  was 
ready,  she  took  the  little  girl  on  her  lap,  and, 
by  means  of  coaxing,  succeeded  in  making 
her  eat  it.  As  soon  as  this  was  accomplished, 
she  pushed  aside  the  dishes,  settled  herself 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  135 

back  in  her  chair,  and,  drawing  Eva's  head 
to  her  bosom,  she  said,  "  Now,  little  missey, 
ole  Nancy'll  tell  yer  a  story.  What  shall  it 
be  about,  honey  ?  " 

"  Oh,  about  yourself.  I  like  true  stories," 
said  Eva,  glad  that  good  Mrs.  Jenkins'  endless 
talking  left  her  so  little  time  to  think  of  the 
dreaded  parting  with  her  sister. 

"  Well,  now,  jes'  ter  hear  de  chile  !  How 
d'ye  know  that  thar  is  any  story  ter  tell  about 
me?  I  s'pose,  though,  a'most  eberybody's 
had  some  kind  of  sperance  that,  if  it  was  writ 
out  all  proper  like,  would  make  a  pretty  good 
story  ;  so  if  yer  raly  wants  ter  know  how  I'se 
got  along  so  far  through  de  worl',  why,  I'll 
jes?  tell  yer.  Yer  see,  honey,  I  was  raised 
down  in  Virginny,  on  a  big  plantation,  where 
thar  was  lots  of  colored  pussons,  big  an'  little, 
ole  an'  young.  A  mighty  nice  time  I  had  ob 
it  when  I  was  a  chile,  a-playin'  about  wid  de 
oder  chil'en.  Much  we  car'd  weder  we  was 
white  or  black,  so  long  as  we  had  plenty  to 
eat  an'  nuthiii'  ter  do  but  play  from  mornin' 
ter  night !  But  at  last  I  grew  ter  be  a  great, 
tall  gal,  an'  Missis  had  me  up  ter  de  house  tu 
learn  tu  sew  an'  fit  work,  kase  she  meant  I 
should  be  a  seamstress,  an'  work  in  de  house, 
instead  of  habin'  ter  go  out  ter  de  fields  like 
some  ob  de  gals  had  ter.  Yer  see  she  had 


136  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

tuk  a  sliine  ter  me,  and  wanted  ter  do  me  all 
de  good  she  could.  Now,  honey,  I  really  be- 
lieve my  missis  was  a  perfect  angel,  even 
when  she  libed  in  dis  miser'ble  worl',  an'  I 
knows  for  sartin  she  is  now,  for  she  went 
home  ter  de  better  country  a  long  time  ago  ; 
but  massa  was  quite  a  different  sort  ob  a  pus- 
son.  He  thought  all  de  worl'  ob  missis,  an' 
dat  was  de  only  good  p'int  dar  was  about 
him.  Lor' !  how  he  would  storm  an'  swar 
an'  lash  his  whip  about  when  t'ings  didn't 
suit  him.  Howsomever,  he  didn't  hab  'casion 
ter  storm  at  me  much,  for  my  work  was  all 
for  missis,  an'  it  didn't  consarn  him  nuthin' 
how  it  was  done.  Well,  it  was  a  dark  day 
for  all  ob  us  when  de  missis  took  sick  an'  de 
doctor  said  she  wouldn't  neber  goin'  fur  to  be 
any  better.  Trouble  had  a  bery  curious  'feet 
on  massa.  He  was  more  onreasonable  an' 
'zacting  than  eber,  an'  we  was  'most  afraid  ob 
our  libes.  Now  yer  see,  honey,  I  had  been 
married  ter  Cato  den  about  two  years.  Cato 
was  one  ob  de  field  han's,  an'  a  right  smart 
fellow  he  was  in  dem  days,  though  he's  got 
de  rhumatis  powerful  bad  now.  One  day, 
when  missis  was  at  de  worse,  I  was  a-sitthi' 
at  our  little  cabin  door  a-gettin'  my  baby  ter 
sleep,  an'  a-thinldn'  how  sad  it  would  be 
when  our  good,  kind  missis  should  be  took 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  137 

away  from  us,  when  all  ter  onc't  Cato  rushed 
in  wid  his  eyes  a-starin'  an'  his  teeth  a  chat- 
term',  an'  a-lookin'  so  drefful  dat  it  steered 
me  a'most  ter  death.  Jes'  as  soon  as  he  could 
speak,  he  cried  out,  '  Oh,  Nancy,  Nancy, 
massa  is  gwine  ter  sell  you  an'  de  baby  to- 
morrow, to  be  carried  clean  off  down  South  ! ' 
An'  den  he  trowed  hisself  on  de  floor,  an' 
clutched  his  har  wid  both  hands,  an*  groaned 
awful.  I  got  right  up.  '  Cato,'  says  I,  '  take 
keer  ob  de  chile ; '  so  he  sat  up  on  de  floor 
an'  looked  at  me  questionin'  like ;  but  I  jes' 
put  little  Tommy  into  his  arms,  an'  walked 
straight  tu  de  house,  an'  right  into  missis' 
room.  Massa  was  thar,  but  I  didn't  keer  for 
him  den  ;  1  pushed  past  him  when  he  tried 
ter  stop  me,  an',  gwine  right  ter  missis'  bed- 
side, I  told  her  jes'  how  it  wras.  Den,  weak 
as  she  was,  she  started  up  in  bed,  and  looked 
massa  in  de  face.  '  John,'  says  she,  '  will  you 
do  dis  thing  ? '  He  kep'  a-pokin'  at  his  boot 
wid  a  little  switch  he  held  in  his  hand,  an' 
mumbled  somet'ing  about  '  raisin'  money  ; ' 
bat  missis  wouldn't  listen  to  him.  She  began 
a-talkin'  to  him  so  beautiful  an'  solemn  like, 
and  neber  gave  up  till  he  promised  to  set 
Cato  an'  me  free,  an'  den  she  wouldn't  be 
satisfied  till  he  sent  off*  for  a  lawyer  an'  had 
free  papers  made  out  for  us  an'  for  little  Tom- 


138 

my  too ;  kase,  yer  see,  I  reckon  she  knowed 
that  massa  wouldn't  be  likely  ter  keep  a 
promis',  even  ter  her,  if  it  took  de  money 
outer  his  pocket,  so  she  meant  ter  make  sure 
of  it  wid  de  lawyer  'fore  she  died.  An' 
mighty  thankful  Cato  an'  I  were  ter  her  for 
thinkin'  so  much  about  us,  an'  she  a-dyin' ! 
I  tell  yer,  honey,  eider  ob  us  would  have  been 
glad  ter  gib  our  life  ter  save  her's  after  dat. 
But  it  couldn't  be,  an'  it  wan't  many  days 
'fore  de  good  Lord  sent  an'  took  her  ter  de 
hebbenly  home." 

Here  the  old  woman  paused  to  wipe  a 
tear  from  her  eye  with  the  corner  of  her 
checked  apron.  That  tear,  in  memory  of  one 
who  was  her  friend  in  the  dark  days  of  her 
bondage,  was  a  richer  tribute  than  the  cost- 
liest monument  ever  raised  to  one  whom  fame 
or  station  had  rendered  great.  It  would  shine 
with  purer  lustre  than  a  diamond,  in  the 
crown  of  blessedness  that  would  circle  the 
brow  of  the  "  good  missis  "  in  that  day  when 
the  Judge  of  all  the  world  shall  say,  u  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least 
of  these,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me." 

After  a  moment's  silence  Mrs.  Jenkins 
went  on  with  her  story :  "  Ah !  chile,  dat 
were  a  heavy  day  to  all  ob  us  poor  niggers. 
Even  Cato  an'  I  didn't  seem  to  feel  much 


139 

comfort  in  thinkin'  we  was  free,  kase  it  were 
so  drefful  ter  think  ob  gwine  off  an'  leavin' 
so  many  ob  our  friends  ter  de  mercy  ob  such 
a  cruel  massa ;  for,  after  missis  died,  he 
seemed  ter  go  kinder  crazy,  an  'peared  like 
he  were  'sessed  ob  an  ebel  spirit.  I  r'ally  do 
think  dat  de  little  good  dare  eber  was  in  him 
was  buried  in  her  grave.  But  dare  wan't  no 
good  in  our  stayin',  eben  if  we  could,  so  Cato 
an'  I,  we  bundled  up  what  little  things  we 
had,  an'  made  our  way  to  de  free  States  de 
bes'  way  we  could.  An'  herewe's  been  in  dis 
yer  big  city  more'n  thirty  years.  Sometimes 
we's  got  along  fus'-rate,  an'  sometimes  we's 
been  pretty  bad  off ;  but  somehow  de  Lord 
He's  allus  took  keer  ob  us,  an'  den  we  an' 
our  chil'en  i&free,  an'  dat  is  a  great  comfort. 

"  Tommy,  he's  married,  an'  is  doin'  fus'- 
rate  in  de  white-washin'  business.  My  darter 
aint  very  strong  ;  she  lives  at  home  wid  Cato 
an'  me,  an'  she  takes  keer  ob  her  father  while 
I'm  out ;  den,  too,  she  'casionally  helps  us 
'siderably  a-doin'  odd  jobs  for  de  neighbors. 
So  we  manage  ter  get  along ;  an'  yer  know, 
honey,  we's  only  told  ter  ax, '  Give  us  dis  day 
our  daily  bread.' ': 

Long  before  Mrs.  Jenkins  finished  her 
story,  Eva's  eyelids  had  been  drooping  drow- 
sily, but,  the  last  words  partly  arousing  her, 


140  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

she  folded  her  little  hands,  and  silently  re- 
peated the  prayer  of  which  they  are  part. 
Then  sleepily  opening  her  eyes  for  a  moment, 
they  fell  upon  the  beautiful  statuette  of  Faith, 
which  the  black  woman  had  taken  in  her 
hand,  and  was  looking  at  with  wonder  and 
admiration. 

As  soon  as  Mrs.  Jenkins  was  sure  that  her 
little  charge  was  asleep,  she  gently  undressed 
her  and  laid  her  on  the  lounge ;  then  seated 
herself  by  Lilian's  bedside  to  watch  her  fitful 
slumbers.  Sometimes  she  nodded  in  her 
chair,  it  is  true,  but  she  never  failed  to  ad- 
minister the  medicine  at  exactly  the  right 
time. 

Eva  awoke  the  next  morning  with  a  sense 
of  some  impending  evil,  though  it  was  several 
moments  before  she  could  collect  her  scat- 
tered thoughts  sufficiently  to  remember  ex- 
actly what  misfortune  she  dreaded  ;  but  when 
full  recollection  came  to  her,  she  started  up 
in  terror,  lest  they  should  have  taken  her 
sister  away  already.  Stealing  softly  to  the 
open  door  of  Lilian's  room,  she  was  relieved 
to  find  she  was  still  there,  and  Mrs.  Jenkins 
at  her  bedside.  The  latter  beckoned  her  to 
come  in,  and  to  her  eager  question,  "  How  is 
sister  Lillie  now  ? "  replied  in  a  whisper, 
"  She  ha'n't  took  no  notice  of  nuthin'  dis 


141 

mornin',  but  we  ought  to  be  thankful  ter  see 
her  lyin'  so  quiet  an'  peaceful,  'stead  ob  ravin' 
like  she  was  yesterday." 

Eva  turned  away  without  speaking,  and 
commenced  dressing  as  hastily  as  her  little 
trembling  hands  would  permit. 

After  a  while  Mrs.  Havens  came  up. 
Mrs.  Jenkins  was  then  making  a  cup  of  coffee 
for  their  breakfast,  and  Eva  had  taken  her 
place  by  the  bedside.  The  little  girl  could 
hear  her  two  friends  consulting  together  in 
low  tones,  and  felt  an  uneasy  consciousness 
that  she  was  the  subject  of  their  conversation. 
And  so  in  fact  she  was.  Mrs.  Havens  knew 
that  she  did  not  intend  to  go  out  with  her 
basket  as  usual  this  morning.  She  dreaded 
to  have  her  present  when  Lilian  was  moved, 
yet  did  not  like  to  tell  her  that  she  should  not 
stay  ;  so  she  appealed  to  the  old  fruit  woman 
to  persuade  the  child  to  accompany  her  when 
she  went  to  her  stand. 

Mrs.  Jenkins  agreed  that  it  would  be  a 
great  trial  to  the  little  girl  to  see  her  sister 
carried  helpless  and  unconscious  from  the 
place  which  had  been  so  long  their  home,  and 
promised  to  coax  her  to  go.  Accordingly,  as 
soon  as  she  had  washed  up  the  breakfast 
dishes,  she  said  in  a  cheerful  tone  : 

"  Now,  honey,  get  yer  basket  an'  come 
'long  wid  ole  Nancy." 


142  "KEEP 

"  Oh,  no,  no  !  "  please  don't  ask  me  to  go 
to-day,  Mrs.  Jenkins,"  said  Eva  in  reply, 
shrinking  nearer  to  the  door  of  Lilian's  room. 

"  Jes'  come  yere  a  minit,  my  little  pet," 
said  Mrs.  Jenkins,  drawing  the  reluctant  child 
to  her  knee.  "  Now  don't  yer  go  ter  cry  ; 
dare  aint  nobody  gwine  ter  make  yer  go  no- 
whar  dat  yer  dont  want'er,  but  yer  jes'  hear 
what  I've  got  ter  say,  an'  I  reckon  yer'll 
'elude  ter  go  yerself.  Thar's  Miss  Lillie,  now, 
she  don't  eben  know  yer  dis  morning  an'  it 
won't  make  a  mite  ob  difference  wid  her 
wedder  yer's  here  or  whar  yer  be.  Dar  aint 
nothin'  yer  kin  do  for  her  but  what  de  doc- 
tor an'  de  nuss  at  de  hospital  fein  do  a  great 
sight  better.  So  wouldn't  yer  ruther  go  now, 
when  she  don't  need  yer,  an'  'arn  some 
money,  so  that  when  she  gets  better  in  a  few 
days  yer  kin  buy  some  nice  things  for  her  ? 
An'  look  a-yere,  honey,  if  yer'll  go  wid  me 
now,  jes'  as  soon  as  de  doctor  says  she  kin  eat 
it,  I'll  gib  yer  de  biggest  orange  I  kin  find  for 
her." 

Eva  sat  still,  with  the  tears  rolling  slowly 
over  her  cheeks,  but,  evidently  impressed  by 
Mrs.  Jenkins'  argument ;  presently  she  looked 
up,  and  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  I  will  go ;  but 
let  me  kiss  Lillie  first." 

"  Dat  yer  may,  honey !  "  exclaimed  the 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  143 

good  woman,  hastily  dashing  her  rough  hand 
across  her  eyes. 

In  a  few  moments  more,  Eva  and  her 
dusky  friend  were  walking  rapidly  toward 
the  place  of  their  humble  avocation.  They 
found  the  blind  organ  grinder  already  at  his 
post,  Mrs.  Jenkins'  daughter  having  led  him 
there,  as  had  been  agreed  she  should  do  the 
evening  before.  -> 

Eva's  stock  of  goods  was  small  now,  and, 
though  she  sold  but  little  during  the  day,  she 
had  only  two  or  three  articles  left  when  even- 
ing came. 

"  Now,  look-a-yere,  chile,"  said  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins, when  it  was  time  to  shut  up  shop^  "  yer 
jes'  come  'long  wid  me  while  I  totes  dese  yere 
t'ings  home,  an'  gets  Mr.  Anthony  safe  ter 
his  house,  den  I'se  gwine  ter  take  yer  ter  see 
yer  sister." 

The  little  girl's  face  brightened  ;  she  had 
supposed  that  she  must  wait  until  the  next 
day  before  being  admitted  to  the  hospital, 
and  had  been  slowly  preparing  to  return 
home,  feeling  how  desolate  that  lonely 
home  would  be.  But  the  hope  of  seeing 
Lilian  gave  her  new  life ;  she  started  up 
eagerly,  and  stood  watching  Mrs.  Jenkins' 
deliberate  movements,  until,  unable  to  check 
her  impatience  longer,  she  ventured  to  ask, 
"  Won't  we  be  too  late  if  we  don't  hurry  ?  " 


144 

"  I  reckon  not,  chile,  but  den  pVaps  it's 
jes'  as  well  not  ter  be  too  slow ; "  and  she 
packed  away  her  fruit  with  rather  less  delay. 

How  rejoiced  Eva  was  when  she  saw  the 
last  rosy-cheeked  apple  disappear  within  the 
capacious  basket,  the  cover  close  over  it,  and 
the  basket  itself,  with  all  its  luscious  burden, 
swung  securely  on  one  of  the  stout  arms  of 
its  owner,  while  the  other  offered  a  strong 
support  to  the  blind  man  !  Then  the  trio  set 
forth.  They  were  all  unheeded  by  the  hurry- 
ing crowds  through  which  they  moved,  and 
yet  there  was  a  pathos  in  their  very  com- 
panionship more  touching,  a  heroism  in  each 
of  their  humble  lives  more  noble  than  that 
which,  when  depicted  on  the  page  of  romance, 
had  many  a  time  awakened  the  sensibility  or 
stirred  the  admiration  of  those  who  passed 
them  by  so  carelessly. 

After  passing  through  several  streets,  such 
as  Eva  had  never  seen  before,  dark,  dirty, 
and  ill  smelling,  thronging  with  wretched 
men  and  women,  and  still  more  wretched 
children,  they  turned  down  a  narrow  alley, 
which,  though  more  quiet,  was  hardly  less 
miserable,  where,  stopping  before  a  dilapi- 
dated old  building,  the  blind  man  released 
Mrs.  Jenkins'  arm,  and,  bidding  God  bless 
her  for  her  kindness  to  him,  he  slowly  de- 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  145 

scended  the  flight  of  rickety  steps  that  led  to 
the  basement,  or  rather  cellar?  of  the  forlorn 
edifice.  Mrs.  Jenkins  took  Eva's  hand,  and 
walked  rapidly  on  a  few  paces  in  silence ; 
then,  as  if  struck  with  a  sudden  thought,  she 
turned  back,  and,  still  leading  the  wondering 
child,  followed  the  old  organ  grinder  into  his 
subterranean  home.  Never  had  Eva's  bright 
eyes  opened  upon  such  a  scene  of  misery  as 
they  now  beheld,  as  soon  as  they  became 
enough  accustomed  to  the  darkness  to  distin- 
guish the  objects  by  which  she  was  surround- 
ed. The  old  man  had  unstrapped  the  organ 
from  his  weary  shoulders  and  placed  it  care- 
fully in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  was  now 
seated  on  an  inverted  tub,  striving  to  warm 
his  half-frozen  fingers  over  a  handful  of  coals 
that  were  smouldering  in  an  earthen  furnflce 
on  the  hearth.  A  tallow  candle,  stuck  into  a 
broken  bottle,  and  standing  on  an  old  barrel 
in  place  of  a  table,  cast  its  feeble  light  over 
the  pale  face  of  a  sickly  looking  woman,  who, 
kneeling  on  the  damp  floor  at  his  side,  was 
eagerly  counting  the  few  pennies  that  he  had 
gathered  during  th5  day. 

The  woman  started  up  when  she  saw  Mrs. 
Jenkins,  and,  seizing  her  hand,  drew  her  tow- 
ard something  at  the  side  of  the  room  which 
had  escaped  Eva's  notice  in  her  first  hasty 
7 


146  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEABT.'' 

glance  over  the  dreary  abode.  This  some- 
thing, which  in  the  general  darkness  seemed 
at  first  only  a  darker  shadow,  proved  upon 
closer  examination  to  be  a  bundle  of  straw 
covered  with  rags,  upon  which  lay  the  form 
of  a  little  boy  about  her  own  age.  Around 
him  was  wrapped  a  blanket  shawl,  which, 
though  faded  and  somewhat  worn,  was  by  far 
the  most  comfortable  article  that  the  poor 
family  seemed  to  possess.  The  sleeping  child 
clutched  it  with  his  little  bony  fingers,  as  if 
he  feared  it  would  be  taken  from  him.  The 
woman,  still  holding  Mrs.  Jenkins'  hand, 
stooped  and  stroked  the  shawl  in  a  caressing 
manner,  as  if  it  were  a  living  thing ;  then 
raising  herself  and  pointing  down  to  the  boy, 
she  exclaimed,  "  See !  Luigi  sleep  now — shawl ,  I 
warm,  warm  !  'Ou  good,  'ou  like  angel — me 
t'ank  !  "  She  could  say  no  more,  for  the  ex- 
citement, together  with  the  effort  she  had 
made  to  master  the  few  words  of  English, 
brought  on  a  violent  paroxysm  of  coughing, 
and  Eva  was  horrified  to  see  that,  when  it 
had  passed,  the  apron  she  held  to  her  lips 
was  stained  with  blood. 

Mrs.  Jenkins  stepped  to  the  table,  or 
rather  barrel,  and,  unobserved  by^those  for 
whom  the  little  charity  was  intended,  placed 
a  dime  among  the  pennies  which  the  poor  wo- 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  147 

man  had  left  lying  there.  As  she  did  so,  Eva 
perceived  for  the  first  time  that  the  shawl  she 
had  on  was  much  smaller  than  the  one  she 
usually  wore,  and,  glancing  again  at  the  hum- 
ble bed  by  which  she  was  still  standiDg,  the 
little  girl  discovered  that  the  covering,  which 
was  so  gratefully  prized,  was  the  very  one 
that  had  so  long  shielded  the  old  fruit  wo- 
man's form  from  the  keen  winter  blasts.  She 
had  but  just  made  this  discovery,  when  Mrs. 
Jenkins  took  her  hand  and  led  her  up  into 
the  street  again. 

It  was  not  so  dark  outdoors  as  in  the 
organ  grinder's  burrow-like  home ;  still  the 
dusk  was  deepening,  and  they  walked  rapidly 
onward.  Nothing  was  said  for  several  mo- 
ments ;  then,  as  a  bitter  cold  blast  swept  past 
them,  Eva  looked  up  and  said  : 

"  Did  you  give  away  your  nice  warm 
shawl,  Mrs.  Jenkins  ?  " 

"  Lor',  chile !  dat's  nuthin' ;  dis  yere  is 
good  enough  for  me.  Anyhow,  I  kin  stan' 
der  cole  better'n  yonder  sick  baby,  I  reckon." 

While  talking  they  had  turned  into  a 
more  open  street ;  the  buildings  were  all  of  a 
very  humble  description,  but  there  was  an  air 
of  cleanliness  arid  hopefulness,  quite  in  con- 
trast with  the  dirty  alley  they  had  just  left. 

"  Here's  whar  I  live,  honey,"  said  Mrs. 


148 

Jenkins,  as  they  entered  the  outer  door  of  a 
decent  looking  tenement  house.  She  led  Eva 
up  two  or  three  flights  of  stairs  ;  then,  open- 
ing a  door  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  ushered  her 
into  her  own  neat,  cheerful  home. 

By  the  fire  sat  old  Cato,  propped  up  in 
his  rocking  chair.  Sally,  his  daughter,  was 
busy  with  preparations  for  supper,  and  a  large 
gray  cat,  that  lay  on  a  bit  of  carpet  before 
the  fire,  was  purring  a  drowsy  accompani- 
ment to  the  tea-kettle's  song. 

"  "Why !  mother,  you  are  home  early  to- 
night," said  Sally,  hastening  to  take  the  bas- 
ket from  her  hand  ;  "  and  you  have  brought 
the  little  girl — that's  nice  !  " 

"  Hoity,  toity  !  "  cried  Cato,  who  had  just 
caught  sight  of  little  Eva,  "  whar  yer  come 
from,  little  pinky  posey  ?  Come  an'  see  ole 
Cato,  an'  tell  um  all  'bout  it." 

The  child  went  to  him,  and,  while  she  was 
trying  to  answer  his  questions,  and  thinking 
how  odd  he  looked  with  his  white  hair  and 
black  face,  Mrs.  Jenkins  held  a  whispered 
conversation  with  her  daughter,  in  which  she 
told  her  all  that  had  taken  place  with  regard 
to  the  orphans,  and  of  her  promise  to  go  with 
Eva  to  the  hospital  this  evening.  "  So  now, 
Sally,"  she  continued,  in  a  louder  tone,  "  I'll 
jes'  take  a  cup  ob  dis  yere  hot  tea,  an'  be 


149 

off ;  don't  keep  yer  supper  a-waitin'  for  me, 
but  jes'  sot  a  plate  ob  sumthin'  down  ter  der 
tire  ter  keep  warm  till  I  get  back."  While 
sbe  was  speaking,  Sally  had  taken  a  nice 
raised  biscuit  from  the  oven,  and  buttered  it 
for  Eva.  It  was  very  acceptable  to  the  poor 
child,  for  grief  and  anxiety  had  robbed  her 
of  appetite  during  the  day,  and  she  began  to 
feel  quite  hungry  after  her  long  walk. 

"  Now,  honey,  I  reckon  we'd  better  go," 
said  Mrs.  Jenkins,  as  soon  as  Eva  had  finished 
her  biscuit.  She  eagerly  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons, and  in  a  moment  more  they  were  again 
threading  their  way  through  the  crowded 
streets. 

They  soon  reached  the  hospital,  but  what 
was  little  Eva's  disappointment  when  told 
that  they  could  not  be  admitted,  no  visitors 
being  allowed  at  that  hour !  In  vain  were 
her  tears  and  Mrs.  Jenkins'  expostulations ; 
such  was  the  rule,  and  it  could  not  be  set 
aside.  Mrs.  Jenkins  was  about  giving  it  up, 
when,  glancing  at  the  sorrowful  face  of  the 
child,  she  determined  to  make  one  more  effort 
in  her  behalf.  She  had  just  commenced  her 
remonstrance  anew,  and  the  porter  had  begun 
to  show  signs  of  impatience,  when  a  gentle- 
man, passing  through  the  hall,  came  forward 
to  learn  the  cause  of  the  dispute.  Eva,  recog- 


150 

nizing  him  as  the  physician  who  had  attended 
Lilian,  sprang  toward  him,  exclaiming  : 

"  You  said  I  might  see  my  sister  every 
day,  and  now  that  man  won't  let  me." 

u  Not  so  fast,  my  little  girl,  not  so  fast !  " 

said  Dr.  H ,  smiling  ;  u  I  said  you  might 

see  her  every  day^  not  every  night.  There  is 
a  difference,  which  you  and  your  good  friend 
here  seem  to  have  overlooked." 

Eva  stood  still  a  moment  with  drooping, 
tearful  eyes ;  then  looking  up,  she  said 
softly : 

"  I  am  sorry  I  didn't  understand  you  ;  but 
if  I  can't  see  Lillie  to-night,  may  I  come  to- 
morrow? and  will  you  please  tell  me  how 
she  is  now  ?  " 

"  She  is,  I  think,  somewhat  better  than  in 
the  morning ;  she  is  sleeping  quietly.  Bat 
come,  little  one,  you  shall  not  be  disappointed. 
It  was  very  careless  on  my  part  not  to  tell 
you  at  what  time  you  could  be  admitted  ;  so 
now  I  will  take  you  myself  to  see  your  sister, 
if  you  will  promise  to  be  very  quiet  and  not 
disturb  her." 

Dr.  H led  Eva,  followed  by  Mrs. 

Jenkins,  up  stairs  and  into  a  long,  dimly 
lighted  room.  On  each  side  of  the  room 
stood  a  number  of  cot  beds  at  equal  distances 
from  each  other.  Eva  observed,  as  she  passed. 


"  KEEP  A  GOOD   HEA"RT."  151 

that  some  were  occupied  and  others  not,  but 
that  all  looked  neat  and  comfortable.  On 
one  of  these  cots,  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
apartment,  Lilian  was  lying  in  a  gentle  slum- 
ber. By  her  side  was  seated  a  pleasant  look- 
ing woman,  engaged  in  knitting.  She  whis- 
pered a  few  kind  words  to  the  child,  as  she 
made  way  for  her  to  come  near  the  bed.  The 
sweet  voice  in  which  they  were  spoken, 
rather  than  the  words  themselves,  won  the 
confidence  of  her  little  heart,  and  she  felt 
almost  reconciled  to  leaving  Lilian  in  this 
strange  place,  if  she  was  to  have  so  gentle  a 
nurse.  Indeed,  while  the  little  girl  stood 
beside  her  sleeping  sister,  much  of  the  dread 
she  had  felt  when  thinking  of  her  as  an  in- 
mate of  the  hospital  disappeared.  To  be 
sure,  it  was  not  the  pleasantest  place  in  the 
world — not  even  so  pleasant  as  their  own 
humble  home  ;  but,  as  she  looked  at  the  tidy 
bed,  and  glanced  around  the  warm  yet  airy 
room,  she  thought  of  the  organ  grinder's  cel- 
lar, and  of  the  sick  boy  wrapped  in  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins'  shawl,  and  she  resolved  not  only  to 
repine  no  longer  at  her  own  lot,  but  to  try 
and  do  something  to  aid  those  who  were  still 
more  unfortunate. 

Presently  Dr.  H took  her  hand  to 

lead  her  away ;  she  longed  to  give  her  sister 


152 

one  kiss,  but  he  shook  his  head,  and  drew  her 
gently  from  the  bedside.  When  they  were 
going  down  the  stairs,  he  told  her  that,  if 
Lilian  could  sleep  undisturbed  for  a  few 
hours,  she  would  probably  awake  with  re- 
stored consciousness.  "  And  so,  my  little 
girl,"  he  said,  cheerfully,  "  when  you  come 
to-morrow  morning,  you  may  give  her  as 
many  kisses  as  you  please,  though  it  would 
not  do  this  evening." 

When  Eva  reached  home  her  heart  was 
much  lighter  than  when  she  went  out  in  the 
morning.  She  no  longer  feared  that  her 
sister  would  die,  for  had  not  the  doctor 
assured  her  that  she  would  be  better  to-mor- 
row ?  And  then,  after  all,  the  hospital  was 
not  such  a  dreadful  place  as  she  had  sup- 
posed ;  so  she  said  u  Good-by  "  to  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins, and  thanked  her  for  the  trouble  she  had 
taken  for  her  in  quite  a  cheerful  voice. 

It  was  very  lonely  for  the  little  orphan  as 
she  sat  by  the  fire,  eating  her  bread  and 
milk  ;  but  she  tried  to  drive  all  sad  thoughts 
away,  and  for  company's  sake  seated  her  doll 
in  a  chair  by  her  side,  and  played  that  she 
shared  her  supper.  Then  she  washed  the 
bowl  and  spoon,  and  put  them  away,  and, 
taking  her  little  Testament,  she  read  over  her 
Sunday  school  lesson  ;  then  closing  the  book, 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  153 

she  sat  watching  the  red  and  blue  flames  that 
kept  dancing  up  to  peep  at  her  through  the 
open  door  of  the  stove,  until  somehow  they 
were  all  at  once  changed  into  familiar  forms 
and  faces.  There  were  Mrs.  Jenkins  and  the 

blind  man,  old  Cato  and  Dr.  H ,  Lilian 

and  Sally  and  Mrs.  Havens,  all  dancing  a 
most  fantastic  jig ;  but  just  as  old  Cato  cut  a 
double  pigeon  wing,  and  tossed  his  crutch  in 
the  air,  she  was  aroused  by  a  sudden  crash, 
and  started  up  to  find  that  she  had  been 
almost  asleep  and  quite  dreaming,  and  that 
her  doll  had  fallen  out  of  her  arms  upon  the 
hearth.  She  picked  it  up  and  anxiously  ex- 
amined it ;  to  her  no  small  comfort  she  found 
there  was  no  damage  done,  but  concluded 
that  it  was  high  time  both  she  and  Dolly 
were  in  bed. 

"  You  shall  sleep  with  me  to-night,  Dol- 
ly !"  she  said,  as  she  took  off  its  pink  silk 
dress,  and  put  on  the  nice  little  nightgown  that 
Lilian  had  made  for  it.  Though  Eva  tried  so 
hard  to  be  cheerful,  she  could  not  help  feeling 
very  disconsolate  as  for  the  first  time  she  pre- 
pared to  go  to  bed  alone.  She  strove  not  to 
think  of  her  loneliness,  but  of  the  pleasant 
times  she  should  have  when  Lilian  was  well 
and  at  home  again.  Still  the  tears  would 
rush  from  her  full  heart  to  her  eyes,  till  they 
7* 


154:  "KEEP 

almost  blinded  her  ;  but  she  quickly  brushed 
them  away,  and,  kneeling  by  the  bedside, 
uttered  her  simple  prayer  to  the  Father  of 
the  fatherless,  and,  before  many  minutes 
more  had  passed,  was  sleeping  sweetly  with 
her  doll  clasped  in  her  arms. 


'KEEP  A  GOOD  HEABT  "  155 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

IT  was  a  very  bright  ray  of  sunlight  which, 
crept  through  the  drapery  that  Jack  Frost 
had  hung  over  Eva's  bedroom  window,  and, 
touching  her  eyelids,  called  her  back  from 
dreamland.  She  sprang  up  at  once,  and 
hurried  on  her  clothes,  for  she  remembered 
that  she  had  a  great  deal  to  do  that  morning. 
And  very  busy  she  was,  I  assure  you.  First, 
there  was  the  fire  to  make,  and  a  pretty  diffi- 
cult task  she  found  it.  How  many  times  it 
would  go  quite  out,  just  as  she  thought  it 
was  really  beginning  to  burn !  and  then  she 
would  have  the  work  all  to  do  over  again 
with  her  little  aching  fingers.  Still  she  was 
not  discouraged,  but  labored  patiently  on, 
learning  a  new  lesson  from  every  failure, 
until  at  last  she  fairly  clapped  her  hands  with 
delight  as  the  loud  roaring  and  crackling  told 
of  her  success.  Then,  while  her  bread  and 


156  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

milk  was  warming,  she  made  the  bed,  dusted 
the  room,  and  dressed  her  doll.  Finally  she 
opened  her  basket  of  merchandise,  and  was 
somewhat  startled  as  she  for  the  first  time 
realized  that  her  stock  in  trade  was  reduced 
to  one  needlebook  and  a  pincushion. 

"  Never  mind  !  "  she  said  consolingly  to 
herself,  "  I  have  some  money  in  my  purse 
yet,  and,  if  I  have  not  much  to  sell,  I  need 
not  go  out  so  early,  but  can  wait  till  it  is 
time  to  go  to  see  Lillie  first." 

"When  she  had  finished  her  breakfast,  she 
took  her  book,  thinking  to  learn  a  long,  lesson 
before  she  went,  but  in  vain ;  she  could  not 
fix  her  thoughts  on  what  she  read.  They 
would  constantly  wander  off,  to  hover  round 
her  sister's  sickbed,  until  at  length,  giving  up 
the  attempt,  she  threw  aside  the  book  and 
went  to  the  window,  where  she  stood  long, 
watching  impatiently  the  clock  in  a  neigh- 
boring church  tower  till  the  slowly  moving 
hands  pointed  to  half  past  nine. 

"  There  !  the  doctor  said  I  must  be  there 
by  ten,  so  now  it  is  time  to  go,"  exclaimed 
the  eager  child,  as  she  hurriedly  prepared  for 
her  cold  walk. 

Arriving  at  the  hospital,  the  same  woman 
whose  sweet  voice  had  won  her  confidence 
the  previous  evening  conducted  her  up  the 


157 

long  room  to  Lilian's  bedside.  The  sick  girl 

had,  as  Dr.  H prophesied,  awakened 

with  restored  reason.  She  received  Eva  with 
a  smile  of  pleased  recognition. 

"  Darling  little  birdie  !  "  she  murmured 
feebly,  smoothing  the  child's  curls.  Then, 
while  a  look  of  pain  passed  over  her  face,  she 
asked,  "  Who  takes  care  of  my  little  pet 
now  ? " 

"  Oh,  everybody,  Lillie !  "  Eva  replied, 
with  a  bright  smile ;  and  Lilian  was  content. 
She  was  too  weak  as  yet  to  trouble  herself 
much  about  her  own  situation  or  that  of  her 
sister,  so  long  as  the  latter  seemed  well  and 
happy.  Eva  saw  this,  and  resolved  to  ap- 
pear always  as  cheerful  as  possible. 

She  had  been  with  her  sister  about  an 

hour,  when  Dr.  H came  to  make  his 

daily  visit  to  his  patients.  Pausing  by  the 
side  of  Lilian's  bed,  he  seemed  pleased, 
though  not  surprised,  at  the  change  which 
had  taken  place  since  the  previous  evening. 
Nodding  pleasantly  to  Eva,  and  speaking  a 
few  words  in  a  low  tone  to  the  nurse,  he 
passed  on  to  the  other  patients.  Presently 
returning,  he  said  kindly  to  Eva,  "  You  must 
come  away  now,  my  little  girl,  and  leave 
your  sister  to  take  a  nap.  You  shall  see  her 
again  to-morrow." 


158  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

When  Eva  stood  on  the  steps  of  the  hos- 
pital with  the  kind  physician,  she  suddenly 
looked  up  into  his  face  and  said,  somewhat 
timidly : 

"  Dr.  H ,  you  have  made  sister  Lillie 

so  much  better,  that  I  am  sure  you  could  cure 
a  poor  little  sick  boy  that  I  saw  last  night. 
"Won't  you  try,  please  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  child,"  said  the  doctor, 
smiling,  u  I  am  willing  to  try  my  skill  on 
the  sick  boy,  especially  as  you  seem  so  con- 
fident of  my  success.  But  who  is  he,  and 
where  does  he  live  ?  " 

"  He  is  the  grandson  of  an  old  blind 
organ  grinder,  and  he  lives  down  in  a  dread- 
ful dark  cellar  in  a  narrow,  dirty  street. 
But,"  she  continued,  with  a  disturbed  look, 
u  I  don't  know  the  name  of  the  street,  and 
you  could  not  find  it  without  that,  could 
you?" 

"  I  am  afraid  not,"  he  replied,  trying  not 
to  laugh  ;  "  I  am  afraid  not,  as  there  are  un- 
fortunately quite  a  number  of  narrow,  dirty 
streets  and  dark  cellars,  with  sick  boys  in 
them,  in  this  great  city." 

"  Oh,  I  know  now  what  we  can  do  !  "  ex- 
claimed Eva,  brightening  ;  "  Mrs.  Jenkins 
can  tell  the  name  of  the  street.  Won't  you 
please  come  and  ask  her  ?" 


159 

"  Who  is  Mrs.  Jenkins  ?  —  your  sable 
friend,  though,  I  suppose ;  but  where  must 
we  go  to  find  her  ? " 

"  Not  'very  far;  she  keeps  a  fruit  stand 
near  St.  Paul's  Church.  Won't  you  come,  sir, 
please  ?  "  replied  the  child,  eagerly. 

Dr.  H nodded,  took  the  little  girl's 

hand,  and  walked  with  her  down  Broadway. 
Mrs.  Jenkins  gladly  gave  all  the  information 
that  was  required.  The  doctor,  glancing  at 
his  watch,  said  he  had  an  engagement  which 
would  detain  him  for  an  hour  or  two,  but 
promised  to  call  and  see  little  Luigi  some 
time  during  the  day.  Then,  bidding  them  a 
friendly  "  good-by,"  he  hurried  away. 

"  Now  who'd  believe  de  chile  would  ha' 
thought  ob  dat — bress  her  little  heart !  "  so- 
liloquized Mrs.  Jenkins,  as  she  looked  proudly 
at  Eva,  whom  she  began  to  consider  as  be- 
longing to  herself.  "It  does  seem  too  bad 
dat  she  should  have  ter  sit  here  such  wedder 
as  dis,"  she  continued,  with  a  discontent  such 
as  she  had  never  felt  at  her  own  exposure  to 
the  cold ;  "  an'  I  don't  believe  she'll  sell  any 
more  ob  dem  things  either;  all  de  bes'  ob 
'em  is  picked  out." 

But  Eva  continued  patiently  at  her  post, 
and  soon  her  patience  was  rewarded.  Loiter- 
ing down  the  street  came  a  merry-faced  boy. 


160 

Sticking  out  of  his  pockets  were  divers  and 
sundry  packages.  He  paused  to  gaze  in  at 
all  the  shop  windows  as  if  looking  for  some- 
thing, he  scarce  knew  what ;  as  he  was  pass- 
ing our  little  heroine,  his  eye  fell  upon  her 
basket. 

"  That  is  it !  "  he  exclaimed,  looking  as  if 
a  weight  was  taken  off  his  mind  ;  then  spring- 
ing to  Eva's  side,  he  caught  up  first  the  nee- 
dlebook,  then  the  pincushion,  and,  glancing 
into  the  empty  basket,  said  pleasantly,  "  Are 
these  all  you  have  left?  You  must  have 
done  a  pretty  good  business  this  morning  to 
have  sold  out  so  soon." 

"  That  is  all  I  had  to-day.  My  sister, 
who  makes  the  things  for  me  to  sell,  is  sick," 
she  replied  gently. 

"  Oh  !  that's  too  bad,"  exclaimed  the  boy, 
casting  a  pitying  look  at  her,  and  then  a  com- 
placent one  at  the  articles  in  his  hand,  as  he 
asked,  "  What  is  the  price  of  these  ?  " 

"  The  cushion  is  ten  cents,  the  needlebook 
fifteen." 

"  That  suits  me  exactly !  "  said  he,  fum- 
bling for  his  purse,  which  was  at  the  bottom 
of  his  pocket,  under  all  the  bundles.  "  You 
see,"  he  continued,  as  the  purse  came  to  light, 
"  iny  uncle  gave  me  a  gold  dollar  not  long 
ago,  and  I  thought  I  would  get  all  our  folks 


161 

Christmas  presents  with.  it.  I  got  something 
for  everybody  but  grandma  and  mother,  and 
I  couldn't  find  anything  that  I  thought  would 
suit  them,  whose  price  would  suit  rne,  until  I 
came  across  you.  Wasn't  it  lucky  I  happened 
to  spy  you  ?  "  and,  handing  her  a  quarter,  he 
ran  off  with  his  treasures. 

Now  that  Eva  had  nothing  to  sell,  there 
seemed  no  reason  why  she  should  remain  any 
longer  out  in  the  cold.  Taking  up  her  empty 
basket,  she  stepped  to  Mrs.  Jenkins's  side  to 
tell  her  that  she  was  going  home ;  but  just 
then  her  eye  chanced  to  rest  on  the  poor 
organ  grinder,  and  a  new  thought  struck  her. 
She  could  at  present  do  no  more  to  help  her- 
self, but  might  she  not  do  something  to  aid 
him  ?  Mrs.  Jenkins  had  told  her  that,  before 
his  little  grandson  was  taken  sick,  he  used  to 
lead  him  through  more  retired  streets,  where 
he  would  go  from  house  to  house  playing  his 
organ,  and  that  then  his  daily  ingathering  of 
small  change  was  much  greater  than  now 
that  he  was  obliged  to  stand  in  the  crowded 
thoroughfare,  where  the  music  could  not  be 
heard,  even  if  any  of  the  busy  throng  were 
disposed  to  pause  and  listen. 

Why  could  not  she  take  Luigi's  place  as 
the  blind  man's  guide? — Eva  asked  herself. 
She  could  lead  him  through  those  beautiful 


162  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

streets  where  she  used  to  go  in  the  summer  to 
peep  at  the  flowers  and  listen  to  the  singing 
birds ;  and  she  felt  quite  certain  that  the 
people  who  lived  in  such  fine  houses  must  be 
kind  and  good,  and  would  give  something  to 
the  poor  old  blind  man.  All  excitement  at 
the  thought  of  doing  good  to  the  sorrowful 
stranger,  Eva  confided  to  Mrs.  Jenkins  her 
newly  formed  plan.  The  good  woman  was 
sorely  puzzled  ^  as  to  what  she  ought  to  say. 
She  knew  that  the  old  man  had  not  received 
a  singte  penny  during  the  whole  morning, 
and  she  had  no  doubt  that  his  chance  would 
be  better  somewhere  else  ;  but  then  the  little 
child,  who  seemed  in  a  manner  cast  under 
her  protection — would  she  dare  let  her  go 
wandering  off  with  so  helpless  a  companion  ? 
She  ventured  one  or  two  objections,  but  Eva 
was  not  to  be  dissuaded,  and  finally  she  gave 
up  all  attempt  to  oppose  her,  saying,  "  Well, 
honey,  yer  must  do  jes'  what  yer  think  yer 
ought'er,  an'  de  Lord  He'll  take  kere  ob  both 
ob  yer,  I  reckon." 

Through  the  broad,  quiet  streets,  where 
there  was  fresh,  untainted  air  to  breathe  and 
room  to  walk  without  jostling  one's  neighbors, 
Eva  led  the  blind  man.  How  refreshing  was 
the  change  !  He  seemed  to  draw  in  new  life 
with  every  breath  of  the  pure  air.  How  the 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  163 

music  gushed  forth  from  the  organ,  as  if  it 
meant  to  make  the  most  of  its  chance  of 
being  heard  !  It  leaped  away  in  great  waves 
of  gladness;  it  thrilled  and  warbled,  as  if  a 
whole  flock  of  canaries  and  nightingales  were 
suddenly  let  loose ;  it  poured  itself  out  in  a 
kind  of  extravagant  wildness,  as  if  it  had  gone 
crazy  with  delight ;  then  changing,  it  pealed 
out  in  so  mournful,  so  plaintive  a  strain,  that 
the  tears  started  to  little  Eva's  eyes  in  very 
sympathy,  till,  slowly  rising  and  gathering  a 
sound  of  sublimity  and  triumph  as  it  rose,  it 
seemed  to  float  away  beyond  the  clouds  ;  and 
the  child  stood  looking  up  to  the  sky,  and 
thought  of  the  golden  harps  around  the 
Throne. 

Many  a  childish  face  was  pressed  against 
the  window  panes  of  the  stately  mansions  be- 
fore which  the  two  strangely  mated  com- 
panions paused,  and  many  a  penny  or  half 
dime  found  its  way  from  warm,  chubby  fin- 
gers to  the  old  man's  tattered  cap. 

At  one  time  he  was  playing  some  of  his 
liveliest  airs  before  a  house,  at  the  basement 
window  of  which  could  be  seen  a  pretty  little 
boy,  some  two  or  three  years  old,  seated  on 
the  lap  of  some  one,  evidently  his  nurse. 
Presently  they  lift  the  window,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment more  the  little  fellow  appeared  at  the 


164:  "  KEEP 

door,  and,  walking  tip  to  Eva,  said  in  his 
baby  fashion  : 

"  Mamma  has  done  away,  and  Betty  has 
not  dot  any  money,  but  se  says  I  may  dive 
'ou  zese  ;  "  and  he  held  out  his  apron,  which 
contained  several  tempting  looking  cakes. 

Eva  had  eaten  nothing  since  morning,  and 
gladly  accepted  the  offering.  The  boy 
watched  her  remove  the  cakes  from  his 
apron  to  her  own,  and,  as  he  shook  away  the 
crumbs,  said  artlessly,  "  'Ou  is  pretty  ;  Betty 
says  'ou  don't  look  like  ozer  ordan  ginders' 
children." 

"  Willie  !  "Willie  !  come  in  now,  quick  !  " 
called  a  voice  from  the  house,  and  Master 
Willie  disappeared  in  a  twinkling. 

"  I  suppose  I  don't  look  very  much  like  a 
poor  child,"  thought  Eva,  as  she  glanced 
down  at  her  neat,  comfortable  dress ;  "  but 
that  is  because  sister  Lillie  takes  such  good 
care  of  my  clothes.  Dear  sister  Lillie  !  how 
glad  I  shall  be  when  she  is  well  again." 
With  a  half  smothered  sigh,  she  took  the 
blind  man's  hand  and  led  him  to  the  steps  of 
a  church  near  by,  where  they  sat  down  to 
enjoy  their  unexpected  lunch.  While  thus 
engaged  the  old  man  grew  talkative,  and 
finally,  in  his  broken  English,  told  his  sad 
yet  simple  story  to  the  sympathizing  child. 


'  KEEP  A   GOOD   HEAET."  165 


THE   OEGAN   GEINDES's    STOEY. 

His  name  was  not  Anthony,  as  good  Mrs. 
Jenkins  called  him,  but  Anton  elli.  In  his 
sunny  Italian  home  he  had  led  a  peaceful, 
happy  life,  all  his  cares  and  ambition  being 
centred  in  the  little  vineyard,  the  income 
from  which  was  all  sufficient  to  supply  his 
family  with,  every  needed  comfort.  His  first 
great  sorrow  came  to  him  many  years  ago  in 
the  death  of  his  wife,  who  left  him  one  child, 
a  daughter,  named  Angela,  then  nearly 
grown  up. 

In  the  course  of  time  Angela  married, 
and,  as  the  old  man's  home  would  be  desolate 
without  his  child,  the  young  couple  resided 
with  him.  Now  everything  seemed  to  point 
him  to  an  old  age  of  quiet  and  rest,  even  from 
his  light  labors  and  responsibilities,  for  Pedro 
could  take  charge  of  the  vineyard.  But  Pe- 
dro was  not  one  to  be  content  with  such  a 
life  of  obscurity  and  inaction,  and,  while  he 
patiently  trimmed  the  vines,  he  dreamed  of 
the  fresh,  vigorous  new  world  across  the 
waters,  and  longed  to  carry  thither  his  now 
buried  talents,  and  earn  for  himself  a  place 
among  the  illustrious  of  the  world.  All  this 
Antonelli  soon  discovered,  and,  as  he  con- 


166  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAHT." 

trasted  his  son-in-law  with  those  around 
them,  he  could  not  deny  that  he  was  fitted  to 
fill  a  grander  sphere  than  that  in  which  he 
himself  had  so  contentedly  passed  his  life. 
Tims  it  came  to  pass  that,  when  his  daugh- 
ter's first-born  (little  Luigi)  was  a  few  months 
old,  he  reluctantly  consented  to  convert  his 
property  into  gold,  and  emigrate  with  his 
entire  family  to  America. 

They  had  been  at  sea  but  a  few  days 
when  they  discovered  among  their  fellow 
passengers  a  countryman  of  their  own,  a 
mere  youth.  He,  too,  was  seeking  the  El 
Dorado  of  the  West,  but  with  more  humble 
aspirations  than  those  which  moved  our  little 
party ;  for  all  his  hopes  were  centred  in  the 
fine-toned  hand  organ  which  was  his  constant 
companion. 

While  yet  out  of  sight  of  land,  the  poor 
boy  was  taken  sick.  Pedro,  who  had  become 
much  interested  in  the  young  stranger,  pity- 
ing his  friendless  condition,  devoted  himself 
untiringly  to  him,  striving  by  every  means  in 
his  power  to  alleviate  his  sufferings.  On  the 
third  day  the  boy  died,  leaving  to  his  bene- 
factor his  only  earthly  possession,  his  much- 
loved  organ.  But  alas !  it  soon  became  ap- 
parent that  Pedro  had  sacrificed  his  life  to 
his  disinterested  benevolence.  He  had  caught 


167 

the  fever  of  which  the  youth  had  died,  and 
the  very  day  on  which  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
New  World,  for  which  he  had  so  ardently 
longed,  appeared  above  the  horizon,  his  body 
was  committed  to  the  waves.  His  spirit  had 
already  reached  that  blest  land  where  there 
are  no  disappointed  aspirations,  no  blighted 
hopes,  no  tears,  and  no  more  death. 

The  bereaved  family  landed  at  New  York 
without  any  definite  aim  or  purpose  before 
them.  The  old  man,  homesick  and  heart- 
sick, fell  in  with  one  who  spoke  fair  words  to 
him  in  his  much-loved  native  tongue,  and  in- 
duced him  to  intrust  to  his  care  the  gold  for 
which  he  had  sold  his  little  vineyard,  the  sole 
inheritance  of  his  children.  When  too  late 
he  found  that  he  had  confided  in  a  villain. 
His  pretended  friend  suddenly  disappeared, 
leaving  him  penniless.  Misfortunes  gathered 
thick  and  fast,  till  at  last  blindness  was  added 
to  the  many  afflictions  of  the  aged  Italian.  It 
was  then  that  the  humble  legacy  of  the  emi- 
grant boy  became  the  only  means  of  support 
to  the  little  family,  who  were  fast  sinking  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  poverty. 

When  poor  old  Antonelli  had  finished  his 
story,  and  wiped  away  the  tears  which  its 
recital  had  drawn  from  his  sightless  eyes,  he 
raised  the  organ  to  his  shoulders,  gave  Eva 


168 

his  hand,  and  they  again  commenced  their 
wanderings. 

As  Eva,  when  the  sunlight  faded,  made 
her  way  back  to  Mrs.  Jenkins'  fruit  stand, 
and  delivered  her  aged  charge  once  more  to 
her  kind  care,  and  then  turned  her  steps 
homeward,  her  ^little  limbs  felt  very  weary 
from  her  long,  tiresome  walk,  but  her  heart 
was  light  and  joyful.  And  well  it  might  be  : 
Faith  and  Hope  had  long  been  her  com- 
panions, and  that  day  another  of  the  celestial 
sisterhood  had  taken  her  by  the  hand,  leading 
her  many  steps  onward  in  the  straight  and 
narrow  path  which  leadeth  to  life  eternal : 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity,  these  three ;  but 
the  greatest  of  these  is  Charity." 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  169 


CHAPTEE  XIY. 

IT  was  the  day  before  Christmas.  Little 
Eva  had  been  to  make  her  daily  visit  to  her 
sister,  and  now  she  went  tripping  down 
Broadway  with  so  much  joyousness  sparkling 
in  her  eyes  and  dimpling  her  lips,  that  a 
stranger  would  have  supposed  she  expected 
Santa  Glaus  to  come  tumbling  down  the 
chimney,  with  a  whole  sleigh-load  of  toys 
and  candies  for  her  especial  benefit.  But  her 
happiness  had  a  very  different  source.  In 
the  first  place,  Lilian  was  better — a  great 
deal  better.  She  had  even  been  able  to  sit 
up  a  few  minutes  while  the  little  girl  was  at 
the  hospital.  And  then,  were  not  her  nimble 
feet  bearing  her  on  an  errand  of  love  and 
charity?  The  blind  man,  she  knew,  was 
awaiting  his  little  guide,  and  her  heart  was 
filled  with  happiness  that  she  could  do  some 
good  in  the  world,  in  humble  imitation  of 
8 


170 

Him,  the  Child  of  Bethlehem,  who  went 
about  doing  good. 

She  found  the  poor  old  Italian  beside  Mrs. 
Jenkins'  fruit  stand.  He  too  looked  more 
hopeful  and  happy  than  Eva  had  ever  before 
seen  him.  The  kind  physician  had  kept  his 
promise,  and  been  to  see  little  Luigi.  The 
remedies  he  prescribed,  and  which  he  admin- 
istered himself,  were  no  homoeopathic  doses, 
I  assure  you.  They  consisted  principally  of 
a  load  of  coal,  comfortable  beds  and  bedding, 
and  a  quantity  of  wholesome  food.  All  these 
comforts  the  old  man  and  his  daughter  shared 
with  the  sick  child,  and,  to  add  to  their 
thankfulness,  he  had  brought  home  more 
money  the  day  that  Eva  had  led  him  through 
those  pleasant  streets  than  in  any  three  days 
on  which  he  had  stood  wearily  turning  the 
crank  of  his  organ  in  noisy  Broadway. 

The  old  man  and  the  child  started  off  on 
their  musical  pilgrimage  again,  and  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins forced  each  to  take  an  apple  from  her 
stand  to  eat  on  the  way. 

Eva  thought  it  would  not  be  well  to  go 
over  the  same  streets  they  passed  through  the 
day  before,  so  she  went  a  little  farther  up 
town,  and  turned  into  a  splendid  avenue, 
where  she  remembered  walking  with  Lilian 
one  afternoon  in  the  summer  when  Mrs.  Ben- 


171 

ton  had  given  her  a  half  holiday.  They 
stopped  before  the  first  house  they  came  to, 
and  the  blind  man  played.  Pretty  soon  a 
window  was  opened,  and  a  piece  of  money 
thrown  out.  It  happened  to  fall  in  the  snow, 
and  while  Eva  looked  for  it  her  companion 
gave  another  tune  by  way  of  thanks.  This 
chanced  to  be  the  "  Portuguese  Hymn,"  and 
as  they  walked  on  Eva  caught  up  the  strain, 
her  sweet  young  voice  floating  out  on  the 
frosty  air,  with  the  words  of  the  hymn-,  u  The 
Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  no  want  shall  I  know," 
which  she  had  learned  at  Sunday  school  to 
sing  to  that  beautiful  tune. 

The  Italian,  with  the  quick  ear  for  music 
peculiar  to  his  nation,  stopped  short,  and, 
motioning  her  to  continue  singing,  listened 
with  evident  delight.  "When  the  song  was 
concluded,  he  exclaimed  rapturously,  "  Ah, 
the  sweet  voice !  me  not  know  little  Eva 
can  sing  so  like  the  angels  ; "  then,  a  new  and 
somewhat  mercenary  thought  striking  him, 
he  continued  eagerly,  "If  little  Eva  sing 
when  me  play,  the  people  give  more  money. 
Will  she  ? " 

"  Why,  Mr.  Antonelli,"  replied  the  little 
girl,  laughing,  "that  would  be  just  like  ex- 
pecting people  to  pay  me  for  singing.  Who 
ever  heard  of  such  a  thing  ?  " 


172  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

"  Everybody  have  heard  of  such  a  thing  ; 
do  not  you  know  of  the  opera  and  the  con- 
certs ?  " 

u  Oh,  yes !  but  that  seems  different.  I 
will  sing,  though,  Mr.  Antonelli,  if  you  think 
it  would  help  you  any." 
o  "  No,  no,  not  at  all  to  help  me ;  if  you 
sing,  then  you  must  take  half  the  moneys," 
said  the  old  man. 

To  this  Eva  would  not  consent ;  but,  after 

much  discussion,  it  was  finally  agreed  that, 

if  the  organ  grinder  received  anything  more 

than  he   did  the   day  before,   the   overplus 

"  should  be  equally  divided  between  the  two. 

This  one  hymn  was  the  only  tune  with 
which  Eva  and  the  organ  were  mutually  ac- 
quainted, so  it  formed  a  part  of  the  perform- 
ance at  every  place  they  stopped.  Some- 
times the  audience,  gathered  at  the  windows, 
would  call  upon  the  child  to  sing  again,  and 
then  Antonelli  would  cease  his  grinding, 
while  she  gave  one  of  the  simple  songs  with 
winch  she  was  familiar.  At  two  or  three 
houses  they  were  called  into  the  hall,  and, 
while  the  admiring  household  gathered 
around,  song  after  song  issued  from  Eva's 
ruby  lips,  filling  the  whole  house  with  melo- 
dy. Then  they  were  sure  not  to  be  dismissed 
empty-handed.  The  old  man's  pocket  con- 


*      "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  173 

tained  more  silver  than  it  had  held  for  many  a 
day  ;  and  as  for  our  little  Eva,  she  grew  quite 
excited.  Wild,  impossible-to-be-performed 
projects  of  making  a  fortune  for  herself  and 
all  her  friends  filled  her  brain.  She  thought 
of  Jenny  Lind  and  all  the  great  singers  she 
had  ever  heard  of,  and  began  to  wonder  4f 
she  was  not  to  be  one  of  them. 

The  day  was  almost  done;  jets /of  gas 
were  already  sending  forth  their  brilliant 
light  through  the  windows  of  stately  man- 
sions which  they  passed,  though  in  the  west 
there  were  still  lingering  traces  of  the  beauti- 
ful sunset.  On  the  calm  beauty  of  the  fleecy 
clouds  Eva's  eyes  were  fixed,  as  she  silently 
led  her  equally  silent  companion.  The 
worldly  ambition  which  had  so  stirred  her 
young  heart  was  fading  away,  and  a  calm 
contentment  took  its  place  as  she  watched  the 
first  star  of  the  evening  break  from  behind  a 
light  cloud,  and  remembered  that  the  same 
gracious  God,  who  by  the  leading  of  a  star 
brought  the  wise  men  to  the  knowledge  of 
His  Son,  whom  He  had  sent  into  the  world 
with  the  gift  of  life  immortal,  still  guided 
and  directed  all  things,  and  knew  how  to  give 
unto  His  children  such  good  gifts  as  were 
needful  for  them. 

Presently  the  child   slackened  her  pace, 


174 

and,  looking  up  to  the  old  man,  said,  "  We 
will  stop  here  and  play  and  sing  once  more  ; 
then  we  must  go  home,  for  it  is  growing 
late." 

The  spot  she  had  selected  for  this  "  posi- 
tively the  last  entertainment "  of  the  evening 
was  where  the  light  from  an  illuminated  par- 
lor fell  directly  upon  them.  "While  the  blind 
man  is  playing  a  prelude,  we  will  look  in 
upon  the  family  group  gathered  within  the 
parlor.  The  room  is  dressed  for  Christmas  ; 
graceful  festoons  of  evergreens  drape  the 
walls  and  droop  from  the  ceiling.  By  the 
bright  coal  fire  is  seated  a  gentleman,  en- 
gaged in  telling  a  story  to  two  little  boys. 
They  seem  much  interested  in  the  story,  but 
yet  their  eyes  will  every  now  and  then  wan- 
der longingly  toward  the  folding  doors  that 
shut  the  next  room  from  their  view,  from 
which  they  can  hear  the  sound  of  merry 
voices  and  quick  footsteps. 

Near  one  of  the  windows  is  standing  a 
young  girl,  amusing  herself  by  watching  the 
passers-by.  There  is  a  look  of  pleased  ex- 
pectancy on  her  face,  and  she  too,  like  her 
brothers,  from  time  to  time  casts  a  glance  of 
impatient  curiosity  toward  those  tantalizing 
doors. 

The  music  of  our  old  man's  organ,  as  it 


175 

floated  through  the  room,  attracted  but  little  • 
attention  from  the  fireside  group,  until  the 
young  girl  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  do  come,  papa, 
and  see  what  a  beautiful  child  !  Don't  her 
golden  curls,  falling  over  her  black  dress,  look 
exactly  like  a  flood  of  sunshine  lighting  up  a 
cloud  ;  and  isn't  that  a  romantic  looking  old 
man  with  her  !  " 

"  That  is  because  he  is  seen  through  a  pair 
of  romantic  young  eyes,  Isabell,"  replied  her 
father,  laughing  ;  "  but  the  child  certainly  is 
pretty,  and  hark !  what  a  sweet  voice  she 
has." 

They  stood  listening  in  silence,  while  Eva 
sang,  to  the  really  fine  music  of  the  organ, 
her  beautiful  hymn  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shep- 
herd, no  want  shall  I  know."  "  That  little 
girl's  face  seems  very  familiar  to  me,"  said 
Mr.  Grey  thoughtfully,  as  the  last  note  of  the 
hymn  died  away ;  then,  as  struck  by  some 
sudden  recollection,  he  hurried  to  the  door 
and  beckoned  Eva  to  him.  She  came  quickly 
up  the  steps,  and  he,  placing  his  hand  kindly 
on  her  head,  asked,  "  Have  I  not  seen  you  be- 
fore, little  one  ?  " 

Eva  looked  up  at  him  a  moment,  then,  as 
an  expression  of  glad  recognition  lighted  up 
her  face,  she  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh  yes  !  sir ;  it  was  you  who  gave  me 
dear  little  Faith." 


176  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  it  was  I  who 
gave  it  to  yon  ?  "  he  asked,  smiling. 

u  Because,  sir,  it  came  with  the  dishes,  and 
no  one  else  could  have  sent  it,"  replied  Eva  ; 
then,  in  a  timid  voice,  she  continued,  "  I  have 
wanted,  a  great  many  times,  to  see  you  and 
thank  you,  but  now  I  don't  know  how  to 
thank  you  half  enough." 

"  Never  mind  the  thanks,"  said  Mr.  Grey, 
as  he  seated  himself  and  drew  her  toward 
him,  "  I  think  on  the  whole  you  have  paid 
off  all  obligation  on  that  score.  Let  me  see  ; 
I  gave  you  an  image  of  Faith,  and  you  have 
just  given  me  a  song  of  Faith ;  so  we  are 
about  even  ;  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

Eva  shook  her  head  slowly,  but  before  she 
could  venture  upon  any  more  decided  dissent 
from  the  gentleman's  sagely  expressed  opin- 
ion, one  of  the  boys  who  had  followed  his  fa- 
ther into  the  hall  and  had  been  an  eager  lis- 
tener to  ajl  that  was  said,  broke  in  upon  the 
conversation,  by  exclaiming,  "  Why,  papa,  is 
this  the  little  girl  you  was  telling  us  about 
seeing  in  the  china  store?  Isn't  it  funny  that 
she  should  happen  to  come  just  when  we  were 
talking  about  her  ? " 

Old  Anton elli  was  called  in,  and  while  he 
sat  in  the  hall  enjoying  the  cup  of  hot  coffee 
and  plate  of  nice  sandwiches  which  Isabelle 


177 

thoughtfully  provided  for  him,  Eva,  in  answer 
to  Mr.  Grey's  questions,  told  of  all  that  had 
befallen  herself  and  her  sister  since  the  day  he 
had  talked  with  her  about  faith,  while  Lilian 
was  making  her  first  purchases  in  the  great 
city. 

"  Have  you  no  brother  ?  "  asked  Freddie, 
the  eldest  of  the  boys,  as  Eva  finished  her 
story. 

"  No,"  she  replied  ;  "  I  did  have  one,  when 
I  was  a  baby,  but  he  went  to  sea  with  my  un- 
cle in  his  ship,  and  they  were  both  drowned." 

"  Is  not  your  name  Ross  ?  "  inquired  Mr. 
Grey,  suddenly. 

"  Yes,  sir,  Eva  Boss." 

"  And  your  uncle's  name,  who  was  lost  at 
the  same  time  with  your  brother  ?  " 

"  John  Marvin,  sir,"  replied  Eva,  while 
Freddie  looked  inquiringly  at  his  father,  won- 
dering why  he  questioned  the  little  girl  with 
so  much  apparent  interest. 

"  Aha !  John  Marvin,"  repeated  Mr., Grey, 
catching  up  a  newspaper  and  turning  it  over, 
as  if  looking  for  something ;  then,  with  his 
finger  on  the  paragraph  which  he  had  sought, 
he  asked,  "  Do  you  know  what  your  uncle's 
ship  was  called  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  it  was  named  Mary  Eoss,  after 
mamma,"  returned  Eva,  beginning  to  wonder, 


178 

as  well  as  Freddie,  why  he  seemed  so  much 
interested  in  the  matter. 

"Then  listen  to  this !"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Grey ;  and  he  read  from  the  newspaper,  "  The 
heirs  of  the  late  Captain  John  Marvin,  of  the 
ship  '  Mary  Ross,'  who,  with  his  vessel  and 
all  on  board,  was  lost  at  sea  in  the  year  1849, 
will  hear  something  to  their  advantage,  by 
applying  to  A.  Jones,  ISTo. st." 

Eva  could  not  exactly  understand  what  it 
all  meant,  but  Mr.  Grey  explained  to  her, 
that  the  Captain  Marvin  referred  to  in  the 
paragraph  was  evidently  her  own  uncle ; 
that  she  and  her  sister  were  his  heirs,  or  those 
to  whom  his  property  would  rightfully  be- 
long, after  his  death ;  and  that  it  was  prob- 
able the  advertiser,  A.  Jones,  had  in  his  pos- 
session, or  knew  of,  some  property  which  had 
belonged  to  Captain  Marvin,  and  to  which 
they  were  consequently  entitled. 

"  Oh,  isn't  that  nice !  "  exclaimed  Freddie ; 
"  she  won't  have  to  go  out  in  the  cold,  to  earn 
money,  any  more,  will  she,  papa  ?  " 

"It  is  just  like  what  we  read  about  in 
books,"  added  Isabelle,  delighted  at  finding 
even  so  simple  a  specimen  of  romance  in  real 
life. 

"I  am  so  glad  she  happened  to  come 
here !  "  cried  little  Charlie,  dancing  about 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  179 

with  joy,  that  some  good  fortune,  though  he 
could  not  comprehend  what,  had  befallen  the 
young  stranger. 

Eva  alone  said  nothing ;  above  all  this 
friendly  clamor  there  was  sounding  in  her 
ears  the  words  she  had  sung  so  many  times 
that  day,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  no 
want  shall  I  know." 

"  Wait,  children,  wait,"  said  Mr.  Grey, 
smiling ;  "  you  are  too  quick  with  your  con- 
clusions ;  we  do  not  know  yet  what  it  is  this 
Mr.  Jones  has  to  tell ;  suppose  I  go  and  see 
him  now,  so  as  to  satisfy  our  curiosity  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"  Oh  yes  !  oh  do,  papa  !  "  they  all  exclaim- 
ed, and  Eva's  blue  eyes  spoke  as  plainly  as 
they  could  in  favor  of  the  proposal. 

"  Run,  Charlie,  and  ask  you  mamma  if  I 
shall  have  time  to  go  to  — — -  street  and  back 
again,  before  Santa  Glaus  has  finished  the 
tree." 

Charlie  bounded  away  with  his  father's 
message,  and  soon  returned,  saying  that  his 
mamma  thought  there  would  be  more  than 
time  enough. 

"  Then  I  will  be  off,  and  this  little  girl 
had  better  wait  here  to  hear  the  news." 

"  Oh  no,  sir ;  I  cannot  stay  any  longer,  I 
must  take  Mr.  Antonelli  home ;  and  besides, 


X 

180  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

Mrs.  Havens  will  think  I  am  lost,  if  I  am  out 
so  late ;  but  mayn't  I  come  to-morrow  and 
hear  about  it  ?  " 

"  That  is  right,  child ;  always  think  of  your 
duty  to  others  before  your  own  gratification. 
Certainly  you  shall  come  to-morrow  and  hear 
all  that  I  can  learn  about  the  matter." 

"  But,  papa,"  said  Charlie,  not  at  all  satis- 
fied with  this  decision  ;  "  1  want  her  to  see 
our  Christmas  tree  !  " 

"  Sure  enough  !  well  thought  of,  my  boy. 
Let  me  see  how  we  can  arrange  it ; "  then, 
taking  the  little  girl's  hand  in  his,  as  she 
stood  before  him,  Mr.  Grey  continued,  "  You, 
Eva,  can  lead  your  blind  friend  back  to  his 
stand  in  Broadway,  then  go  home  to  satisfy 
Mrs.  Havens  that  you  are  safe,  and  when  I 
have  seen  Mr.  Jones,  I  will  come  for  you  and 
bring  you  here, ;  to  see  what  kind  of  fruit 
grows  on  a  Christmas  tree." 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  nice  !  It  takes  papa  to 
get  folks  out  of  a  fix  !  "  cried  Charlie,  clap- 
ping his  hands,  while  little  Eva's  bright  smile 
and  softly  spoken  a  Thank  you,  sir,"  suffi- 
ciently testified  her  joy. 

"  Had  she  not  better  tell  her  friends  that 
she  will  stay  here  all  night  ?  "  asked  Isabelle  ; 
"  you  know,  papa,  it  will  be  so  late  for  her  to 
go  home." 


181 

"  That  will  be  a  very  good  plan,  daughter, 
if  she  is  willing  to  stay.  How  is  that,  my  lit- 
tle girl  ?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  Eva. 

"  I  should  like  to  stay,"  answered  the 
child,  simply,  -  lay  ing  her  little  hand  in  Isa- 
bel! e's.  How  short  the  walk  seemed  to  Mrs. 
Jenkins'  fruit  stand,  and  how  the  good  woman 
rolled  up  her  eyes  and  declared  she  "  Neber 
heard  nothin'  like  it  afore  in  all  her  life," 
when  Eva  hastily  told  of  her  adventure.  The 
old  blind  man  urged  the  little  songstress  to 
take  her  share  of  their  day's  earnings,  which 
she  refused  to  do,  saying,  "  Who  knows  but 
that  the  gentleman  who  put  it  in  the  paper 
about  Uncle  John,  has  some  money  for  Lillie 
and  me,  and  then  I  won't  need  it." 

"  Ah,  but  if  he  not  have  any  moneys  for 
you  ?  what  then,  carissima  ?  " 

"  Then  I  will  go  and  sing  with  you  again 
and  make  some  more,"  replied  Eva,  as  she 
bounded  away,  laughing. 

Arrived  at  home,  she  met  Mrs.  Havens  in 
the  hall,  who  exclaimed,  in  her  most  queru- 
lous tones,  "  What  on  earth  has  kept  you  out 
so  late,  child  ?  I  have  been  worried  almost 
to  death  about  you  ;  I  don't  see  any  use  in 
your  going  out  at  all  now  any  way,  for  I  am 
Bure  you  can't  have  anything  to  sell." 

As  soon  as  Eva  could  find  a  chance  to 


182 

speak,  slie  laid  her  hand  coaxingly  on  Mrs. 
Havens'  arm,  saying,  "  I  am  very  sorry  you 
were  troubled  about  me.  I  will  try  not  to  be 
so  late  again  ;  "  then  briefly  told  her  how  she 
had  passed  the  day,  and  of  the  crowning  ad- 
venture of  the  evening. 

"  Well,  I  never !  "  exclaimed  the  land- 
lady, somewhat  mollified ;  "  you  are  the 
queerest  child  I  ever  did  see.  The  idea  of 
your  going  about  the  streets  singing,  with  an 
old  organ  grinder  !  I  wonder  what  your  sis- 
ter would  say  !  But  I  hope  the  story  about 
your  uncle's  property  will  turn  out  well, 
though  I  don't  know,"  and  she -shook  her  head 
doubtingly.  "  Well,  child,"  she  resumed,  "  if 
you  are  going  to  that  Christmas  tree,  or  what- 
ever it  is,  you  had  better  run  up  stairs  now, 
and  change  your  dress.  I  will  send  Jennie  to 
help  you  fix  your  hair.  I  don't  believe  those 
useless  curls  have  been  real  smooth  and  tidy 
once  since  Lilian  has  been  sick,  though  I  dare 
say  you  have  worked  hard  enough  to  make 
them  so,  poor  child  !  so  you  need  not  look  so 
distressed  about  it." 

It  did  not  take  our  little  heroine  long  to 
decide  upon  her  toilette,  as  she  had  but  one 
dress  besides  that  she  had  on — the  one  made 
from  Aunty  Smith's  old  bombazine,  which, 
with  careful  treatment,  still  did  duty  very 


183 

respectably  as  her  best.  Jennie,  "  clothed  in 
a  little  brief  authority,"  pulled  dreadfully  in 
getting  the  tangles  out  of  her  curls,  but  the 
child  had  been  so  shocked  at  Mrs.  Havens'  in- 
sinuation that  she  did  not  look  tidy,  that'she 
bore  the*  torture  like  a  stoic,  and  even  prom- 
ised Jennie  that,  if  she  should  get  any  candy 
from  the  tree,  she  would  give  her  half,  as  a 
reward  for  her  services. 

When  at  last  the  troublesome  curls  hung 
in  smooth,  glistening  clusters  over  her  shoul- 
ders, she  laid  Dolly  on  the  bed,  "  to  make  her 
look  comfortable,"  kissed  little  Faith,  and 
wishing  Jennie  a  merry  Christmas,  soon  stood, 
hooded  and  cloaked,  watching  for  Mr.  Grey 
through  the  side  light  of  the  front  door.  She 
had  not  waited  long  when  a  sleigh  drove  up, 
and  in  another  moment  she  was  sitting,  wrap- 
ped in  soft  robes,  beside  her  kind  friend,  who 
was  telling  her  the  result  of  his  visit  to  Mr. 
Jones.  It  appeared  that  Captain  Marvin, 
just  before  he  sailed  on  his  last  voyage,  had 
authorized  Mr.  Jones  to  collect  some  debts 
that  were  owing  him,  during  his  absence. 
The  money  was  collected,  but  the  owner  did 
not  return,  and  when  news  came  of  his  loss  at 
sea,  Mr.  Jones  placed  the  money  in  bank  and 
advertised  for  the  heirs.  Receiving  no  re- 
sponse to  the  advertisement,  he  still  continued 


184: 

to  have  it  inserted  in  the  papers  several  times 
each  year,  hoping  that  at  last  it  might  meet 
the  eye  of  some  one  interested.  It  so  happened 
that  neither  the  orphans,  nor  any  of  their 

friends  in  the  remote  little  village  of  B , 

had  chanced  to  see  the  notice,  and  but  for 
Eva's  charitable  effort  to  assist  the  old  blind 
man,  they  might  never  have  known  of  the 
good  fortune  that  awaited  them. 

The  property  was  not  very  large,  but  it 
would  be  amply  sufficient  to  support  our 
young  friends  in  their  simple,  economical 
habits,  even  allowing  them  something  to  give 
away  to  those  less  fortunate. 

When  Mr.  Grey  had  explained  this  to  the 
child  as  simply  and  briefly  as  possible,  she 
exclaimed,  joyfully,  "  Then  sister  Lillie  won't 
have  to  sew,  sew,  sew  all  the  time  when  she 
gets  well,  and  I  can  go  to  school  again  ;  oh,  I 
am  so  glad  !  " 

"  Here  they  come  !  here  they  come !  " 
shouted  Freddie  and  Charlie,  darting  from  the 
window,  and  rushing  tumultuously  to  the 
door,  as  the  sleigh  containing  their  father 
and  their  little  guest  drove  up.  They  seized 
Eva,  and  drew  her,  in  triumph,  to  the  parlor, 
exclaiming,  "There,  mamma,  we  told  you 
papa  would  bring  her  backhand  here  she  is !  " 
The  child  was  somewhat  abashed  at  finding 


ME.  GREY'S  HOUSEHOLD. 


185 

herself  so  unceremoniously  ushered  into  the 
midst  of  a  numerous  company  (for  all  Fred- 
die's and  Charlie's  uncles,  aunts,  and  cousins 
had  arrived,  and  formed  quite  a  large  party), 
but  the  lady  whom  the  boys  addressed  as 
mamma,  gently  reproving  them  for  their 
thoughtlessness,  received  her  with  a  kiss  and 
a  few  kind  words  of  welcome,  and  then  gave 
her  in  charge  of  Isabelle,  with  whom  she  at 
once  felt  at  ease. 

Isabelle  led  her  up  stairs  to  her  own  room, 
took  off  her  cloak  and  hood,  and  showed  her 
the  nice  little  bed  that  had  been  prepared  for 
her  close  to  hers.  When  they  returned  to  the 
parlor  they  found  the  whole  company,  from 
Mr.  Grey  down  to  little  Charlie,  preparing  for 
a  romping  game  of  "  Blind  man's  buffi"  Eva 
entered  with  all  her  heart  into  the  sport ;  she 
laughed  as  merrily  and  bounded  over  the  vel- 
vet carpet  with  as  light  and  careless  grace  as 
any  of  the  little  children  there,  though  they 
had  never  known  a  ruder  playground,  or  en- 
countered a  greater  difficulty  than  that  of 
eluding  the  grasp  of  "  Cousin  Will,"  who, 
with  bandaged  eyes  and  outstretched  arms, 
came  so  very  near  catching  somebody,  but 
never  quite  succeeded.  Then  came  "  Magic 
Music,"  "  Hunt  the  slipper,"  and  "  Forfeits," 
and  at  last,  j  list  as  the  children  were  won- 


186 

dering  what  they  should  do  next,  the  folding- 
doors  were  thrown  open,  and  there  stood  the 
Christinas  tree,  with  its  tiny  tapers,  its  glit- 
tering balls,  and  all  the  countless  beautiful 
things  which  loving  hands  had  hnng  upon  its 
branches. 

"  Oh,  isn't  it  beautiful!  "  exclaimed  glad 
young  voices,  amid  the  clapping  of  little 
hands  ;  but  Eva  neither  spoke  nor  moved ;  she 
had  never  before  seen  anything  like  it,  and  it 
seemed  to  her  so  like  a  dream,  that  she  scarce 
dared  breathe,  lest  it  should  vanish  away. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Eva  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Grey,  drawing  her  to  her  side. 

"  Oh,  you  were  so  good  to  let  me  come 
and  see  it !  "  was  the  child's  only  reply,  as 
she  pressed  her  lips,  quivering  with  excite- 
ment, on  Mrs.  Grey's  hand,  somewhat  to  that 
lady's  surprise.  Just  then  Freddie  came  to 
lead  her  to  a  place  in  the  procession,  which 
was  forming,  to  walk  around  the  tree,  that  all 
might  view  it  at  every  point — a  very  merry 
procession  it  was,  I  assure  you.  When  the 
ceremony  was  over,  Mr.  "Grey,  mounted  on  a 
set  of  library  steps,  proceeded  to  strip  the 
heavily  laden  branches  of  the  Aladdin-like 
tree.  To  each  article  was  attached  the  name 
of  the  person  for  whom  it  was  intended,  which 
M*  Q-rey  read  aloud  as  he  presented  it.  "  Eva 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  187 

Boss,"  he  presently  called  out ;  and,  the  child 
stepping  timidly  forward,  he  placed  in  her 
hands  a  beautifully  carved  musical  box.  He 
touched  the  stops  as  he  gave  it  to  her,  and 
the  clear,  sweet  notes  of  the  "  Portuguese 
Hymn  "  mingled  with  the  sounds  of  innocent 
merriment  that  filled  the  room.  Soon  her 
name  was  called  again,  and  this  time  it  was 
an  enormous  cornucopia.  She  had  just  made 
her  way  back  to  Isabelle  with  her  treasure, 
thinking  how  pleasant  it  would  be  to  redeem 
her  promise  to  Jennie  Havens,  by  sharing 
with  her  the  contents' of  this  beautiful  horn 
of  plenty,  when,  to  her  surprise,  she  heard 
her  sister's  name.  At  first  she  thought  she 
must  be  mistaken  ;  but  no — "  Lilian  Boss," 
repeated  Mr.  Grey,  and  Isabelle  told  her  that, 
as  her  sister  was  not  present,  she  must  take 
charge  of  whatever  Santa  Glaus  had  left  for 
her.  It  was  a  graceful  little  basket,  filled 
with  large  bunches  of  luscious  grapes,  white 
and  purple,  tastefully  interspersed  with  sprigs 
of  holly.  This  thoughtful  care  for  her  sick 
sister  touched  the  sensitive  child  more  deeply 
even  than  all  the  kindness  to  herself,  and  she 
could  scarce  keep  back  the  tears  of  gratitude, 
as  she  whispered  her  thanks. 

The  happiest  day,  as  well  as  the  saddest, 
must  have '  an  end,  and  so  at  length,  *when 


188 

every  one  had  enjoyed  their  full  of  fun  and 
frolic,  the  uncles  and  aunts  and  cousins  de- 
parted amid  a  shower  of  kisses  and  good-bys, 
while  everybody  wished  everybody  else  a 
merry  Christmas. 

'  How  soundly  Eva  slept  that  night,  in  the 
snug  little  bed  prepared  for  her ;  and  how, 
when  she  awoke  bright  and  early  in  the 
morning,  she  looked  about  in  bewildered  sur- 
prise, wondering  where  she  was  and  how  she 
came  there,  till  an  amused  laugh  from  Isa- 
belle  made  it  all  clear  again. 

"  Oh,"  she  exclaimed,  joining  in  the 
laugh ;  "  I  thought  that  all  about  the  tree 
was  a  dream,  and  couldn't  quite  make  out 
whether  I  was  awake  yet  or  not." 

When  the  family  were  gathered  together 
for  morning  prayers,  Mr.  Grey  talked  very 
seriously  to  the  children  about  the  day  whose 
coming  had  made  them  all  so  glad.  He  told 
them  that  Christmas  daymen ould  not  be  alto- 
gether devoted  to  mirth  and  festivity.  That 
we  should  think  of  Him  whose  birth  it  com- 
memorates, and  try  to  grow  like  Him ;  that 
as  He  gave  to  us  the  inestimable  gifts  of  His 
atoning  blood,  His  life  and  His  example,  so 
we  too  should  give  gifts,  not  only  pretty  pres- 
ents to  friends  and  relatives — though  this  is 
right,  as  showing  love  and  good-will  one  to 


189 

another — but  comforts  and  necessities  to  the 
poor  and  needy.  That  as  He  was  meek  and 
lowly,  so  should  we  put  away  all  pride,  van- 
ity, and  self-righteousness  ;  that  as  He  forgave 
His  enemies,  and  prayed  for  them  who  de- 
spitefully  used  Him,  we  likewise  should  for- 
give all  those  who  have  injured  us,  and  on 
this  day,  when  angels  sung  of  peace  and  good- 
will, commence  life  anew  in  love  and  charity 
with  all ;  then  we  should  be  very  sure  of  a 
happy,  if  not  a  merry  Christmas. 

At  the  breakfast  table  a  new  surprise 
awaited  our  little  heroine.  Beneath  each 
plate  was  a  small  parcel  enclosing  some  ap- 
propriate gift.  Freddie,  Charlie,  and  Eva 
each  had,  alike,  a  pretty  pearl  portemonnaie, 
containing  two  gold  dollars. 

The  boys  prattled  the  whole  meal  time  as 
to  how  they  should  spend  their  money.  Eva 
said  nothing,  after  a  few  embarrassed  words 
of  thanks  (embarrassed  because  she  did  not 
exactly  know  to  whom  they  should  be 
spoken) ;  but  she  had  mentally  disposed  of 
her  two  dollars  long  before  Masters  Freddie 
and  Charlie,  with  all  their  talking,  had  de- 
cided what  to  do  with  theirs.  Dr.  H 

had  told  her  that  she  might  come  earlier  and 
Btay  longer  with  Lilian  to-day,  as  it  was 
Christmas  ;  and  very  soon  after  breakfast-  she 


190 

was  ready  to  go,  with  a  covered  basket  on 
her  arm,  in  which  Lilian's  basket  of  grapes 
and  her  own  music  box  and  cornucopia  were, 
with  Isabelle's  assistance,  carefully  packed 
for  safe  carrying.  When  she  went  to  seek 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grey  to  say  good-by,  she  found 
them  standing  before  the  dining-room  fire, 
evidently  engaged  in  some  important  consult- 
ation. Mrs.  Grey,  as  soon  as  she  saw  the 
child,  held  out  "her  hand  to  her,  saying, 
"  What !  going  so  soon,  little  Eva  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  she  replied,  approaching  ; 
"  but  I  will  come  back  to  bring  the  basket 
by-and-by." 

Mrs.  Grey  smiled,  and  asked,  "  Won't  you 
come  and  stay  with  us,  Eva — you  and  your 
sister — until  she  gets  quite  well  again  ?  " 

"  And  will  you  bring  sister  Lillie  here  ?  " 
cried  the  little  girl,  scarce  believing  that  she 
had  heard  aright. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear ;  we  will  bring  her 
here  this  very  day  if  the  physician  says  it 
will  do  no  harm  to  move  her." 

Eva's  sparkling  eyes  told  the  thanks  she 
could  not  speak  ;  and  her  kind  friends,  prom- 
ising to  meet  her  at  the  hospital  early  in  the 
afternoon,  let  her  go  to  tell  her  sister  all  the 
happiness  that  filled  her  heart. 

"  You  will   come  back   again  ;    mamma 


"  KEEP   A   GOOD   HEART."  191 

says  so,"  said  Freddie  and  Charlie,  as  they 
parted,  after  escorting  her  down  the  steps. 

"  Yes,  and  Lillie  is  coming  too.  "Won't 
we  have  nice  times  ?  "  replied  the  child,  art- 
.lessly,  as  she  hurried  away.  She  walked 
rapidly  until  she  came  to  a  florist's  green- 
house ;  here  she  stopped,  and,  with  part  of 
one  of  her  gold  dollars,  purchased  a  beautiful 
bouquet,  which  she  placed  carefully  in  the 
basket,  and,  again  starting  off  with  a  quick 
step,  she  was  not  long  in  reaching  the  hos- 
pital. 

Lilian  was  sitting  up  when  she  arrived, 
and  great  was  her  surprise  when  the  delighted 
child  placed  in  her  lap  the  basket  of  grapes, 
and,  holding  up  the  flowers,  said  softly,  as 
she  kissed  her,  "  See,  sister,  I  have  brought 
you  a  merry  Christmas  !  " 

«  Why,  darling,"  she  said,  drawing  her 
close  to  her  side,  u  where  did  you  get  these 
beautiful  things  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Grey,  the  gentleman  who  gave  me 
little  Faith,  you  know,  sent  the  grapes,  and  I 
bought  the  flowers  myself.  Ar'n't  they 
sweet ! '.' 

Lilian  looked  more  puzzled  than  ever  at 
this  explanation.  Then  Eva  related  all  her 
adventures  of  the  last  few  days  (her  wander- 
ings with  old  Anton elli  she  had,  until  now. 


192 

kept  secret  from  her  sister,  lest  she  should  be 
alarmed  for  her  safety).  The  sick  girl  lis- 
tened in  amazement,  till  Eva  told  how,  the 
day  before,  she  went  from  house  to  house 
singing,  when,  folding  her  arms  more  tightly 
around  her,  she  exclaimed,  almost  reproach- 
fully, "  And  all  the  time  I  thought  you  were 
safe  at  home,  under  Mrs.  Havens'  care  !  " 

"  Sister,"  said  the  little  girl,  in  a  low  tone, 
laying  her  head  on  Lilian's  shoulder,  "  God 
took  care  of  me.  Listen  how  He  led  me  to 
good,  kind  friends ; "  and  then  she  told  of 
her  stopping  before  Mr.  Grey's  house,  and  all 
that  had  resulted  from  it. 

Lilian  kissed  her  in  silence,  while  tears  of 
thankfulness  rolled  down  her  pale  cheeks. 

When  Dr.  H came,  he  readily  gave  his 

consent  that  his  young  patient  should  be 
removed  to  Mr.  Grey's,  saying  there  would 
be  no  danger  if  she  was  properly  wrapped  up 
and  moved  with  care.  So,  when  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Grey  arrived  in  a  close  carriage,  well 
provided  with  pillows  and  blankets,  she  was 
carried  out,  placed  in  it,  and  driven  slowly 
away. 

Mr.  Grey  and  Eva  stood  watching  until 
the  carriage  and  its  precious  burden  was  lost 
sight  of  in  the  throng.  Then  he  asked  if  she 
would  like  to  go  anywhere  else  before  return- 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  193 

ing  home  with  him.  Now  Eva  wished  very 
much  to  spend  the  remainder  of  her  money  in 
Christinas  presents  for  Mrs.  Jenkins  and  the 
poor  Italian  family,  and  so  she  told  Mr.  Grey. 
He  laughed  at  the  thought  of  her  doing  so 
much  with  so  small  a  sum.  But  Eva  had  de- 
cided what  to  buy  and  counted  the  cost,  and 
easily  convinced  him  that  she  did  not  expect 
to  perform  impossibilities.  First  she  wanted  a 
picture  book  for  Luigi,  who  was  now  getting 
well  enough  to  need  some  amusement ;  then 
a  pound  of  tea  for  his  mother,  a  pair  of  warm 
stockings  for  the  blind  man,  and  for  Mrs. 
Jenkins  a  pretty  china  sugar  bowl.  She  had 
decided  upon  this  last  -from  observing  that 
the  good  woman's  tea  set  was  minus  such  an 
article,  its  place  being  supplied  by  a  cracked 
tumbler. 

When  the  purchases  were  made,  Mr.  Grey 
went  with  the  little  girl  to  distribute  her  gifts. 
They  first  visited  poor  old  Antonelli's  cheer- 
less  abode.  It  was  less  desolate  than  on  Eva's 
former  visit,  owing  to  the  good  doctor's  boun- 
ty, but  the  child  and  her  kind  friend  left  it 
brighter  still ;  for,  in  addition  to  her  very 
acceptable  gifts,  Mr.  Grey  placed  in  the  old 
man's  hand  a  well-filled  purse,  and  promised 
to  procure  him  some  better  means  of  earning 
a  living  than  by  his  organ  grinding.  They 
9 


194 

found  Mrs.  Jenkins,  Cato,  and  Sally  just  fin- 
ishing their  Christmas  dinner.  The  savory 
fumes  of  the  roast  goose  and  plum  pudding 
testified  to  its  having  been  a  good  one.  The 
simple  souls  were  overjoyed  to  see  Eva, 
though  somewhat  abashed  at  the  presence  of 
Mr.  Grey.  He,  however,  soon  set  them  at 
ease  by  his  pleasant,  friendly  manner,  and, 
before  he  had  been  in  the  room  many  min- 
utes, old  Cato  was  telling  him  all  about  his 
rheumatism  as  freely  as  if  he  had  known  him 
for  years.  Eva's  sugar  bowl  was  received 
with  loud  demonstrations  of  delight  and  ad- 
miration. Cato  declared  that  the  sugar  "  dat 
corned  out  ob  it  would  be  de  very  sweetest 
sugar  in  de  whole  worl',"  and  his  wife  said 
she  should  "  keep  it  jes'  as  long  as  she  lived, 
ter  'member  de  darlin'  little  rosebud  what 
gave  it  to  her." 

When  Eva  had  bid  Jier  humble  friends 
good-by,  and  made  them  very  happy  by 
promising  to  come  and  take  tea  with  them 
soon,  Mr.  Grey  said  he  thought  that  they  had 
best  go  and  see  Mrs.  Havens,  as  she  might 
wonder  what  had  become  of  her  little  lodger. 
That  was  just  what  Eva  had  been  thinking 
of,  and  besides,  she  wanted  to  give  Jennie 
the  candy ;  so  she  gladly  agreed  to  the  pro- 
posal. 


195 

"  Would  you  not  like  to  see  <  little  Faith ' 
again  ? "  she  asked,  looking  up  in  his  face. 
"  Mayn't  I  take  it  to  your  house,  and  my  doll 
too  ?  "  He  gave  a  laughing  assent  as  he  rang 
Mrs.  Havens's  doorbell. 

Mrs.  Havens  received  Mr.  Grey  in  her 
solemn  front  parlor,  and  listened  with  real 
pleasure  as  he  told  of  the  good  fortune  that 
had  befallen  the  orphans,  and  of  his  wife's 
intention  to  take  charge  of  them  until  Lilian's 
health  should  be  restored.  In  the  mean  time 
Jennie,  who  had  accompanied  Eva  up  stairs 
to  get  her  treasures,  was  listening  with  won- 
der to  her  account  of  the  last  night's  festivi- 
ties, and  devouring  the  contents  of  the  cornu- 
copia. 

Dolly  was  soon  dressed  in  her  street  cos- 
tume, the  little  statuette  carefully  placed  in  a 
pasteboard  box,  and  Eva  stood  by  Mr.  Grey's 
side,  ready  to  accompany  him  to  his  pleasant 
home,  where  her  sister  was  already  awaiting 
her.  Mrs.  Havens  gave  her  a  kiss,  telling 
her  she  must  come  to-morrow  and  help  pack 
her  own  and  Lilian's  clothes,  which  were  to 
be  sent  to  them  at  Mr.  Grey's.  She  promised 
to  be  there  early  in  the  morning,  and  in  a 
moment  more  was  walking  quickly  through 
the  street,  with  her  hand  resting  confidingly 
in  that  of  her  kind  protector. 


196 

"  Well,  I  declare  !  "  sighed  Mrs.  Havens, 
as  she  stood  looking  after  them  ;  "  some  peo- 
ple seem  born  to  good  luck.  Who  would 
have  thought,  when  I  was  worrying  about 
those  children,  along  with  all  my  own  trou- 
bles, that  they  would  be  so  well  provided  for 
all  at  once  ?  And  it  all  comes  of  that  little 
imp's  outlandish  doings,  too ! "  she  added, 
with  something  very  like  a  smile,  as  she 
closed  the  door,  and  sat  down  to  count  the 
bills  which  Mr.  Grey  had  insisted  upon  her 
taking,  in  payment  of  a  quarter's  rent  for  the 
room  which  the  orphans  had  occupied,  be- 
cause, as  he  said,  he  was  robbing  her  of  her 
lodgers  without  giving  notice. 

Isabelle  and  the  boys  gladly  welcomed 
Eva  back  again.  They  had  been  watching 
for  her  ever  since  their  mother  returned  with 
Lilian,  and  wondering  what  kept  her  and 
their  father  so  long. 

Freddie  had  his  books  and  Charlie  his 
toys  all  ready  for  her  entertainment,  and 
were  for  carrying  her  off  to  their  playroom 
as  soon  as  she  made  her  appearance  ;  but  she 
drew  back,  saying,  "  I  will  like  to  go  with 
you  pretty  soon,  but  can't  till  I  see  Lillie 
first." 

"  Oh,  sure  enough ;  I  forgot,"  exclaimed 
Freddie. 


197 

"  You  see,  brother  mine,  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  being  too  hospitable,"  said  Isabelle, 
pleasantly,  as  she  took  Eva's  hand  and  led 
her  to  her  sister's  room.  A  very  pleasant 
room  it  was.  The  soft  carpet  gave  back  no 
sound  from  the  footfall,  heavy  crimson  cur- 
tains shaded  the  windows,  and  a  bright, 
cheerful  fire  glowed  in  the  grate.  Lilian, 
pale  and  exhausted,  but  otherwise  none  the 
worse  for  her  ride,  reclined  on  the  downy 
couch.  Mrs.  Grey,  seated  in  an  easy  chair 
by  her  side,  was  bathing  her  brow,  while  a 
servant  was  noiselessly  engaged  in  arranging, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  the  same 
little  bed  that  Eva  had  occupied  the  night 
before. 

Eva  was  not  allowed  to  stay  long,  as  Mrs. 
Grey  said  it  was  best  that  Lilian  should  try 
to  sleep  after  her  fatigue  ;  so  she  went  to  join 
the  boys  in  the  playroom,  well  satisfied  that 
her  sister  could  want  for  nothing  while  under 
such  kind  guardianship. 

What  a  fine  time  the  children  had  togeth- 
er, and  how  astonished  the  boys  were  when 
at  last  told  that  it  was  dinner  time  ! 

"Why,  this  is  the  shortest  day  I  ever 
knew ! "  said  Freddie,  as  they  went  down 
stairs. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Charlie  ;  "  only  the  time  we 


198 

were  watching  for  papa  and  Eva  didn't  seem 
very  short." 

"That  must  have  been  because  you  had 
nothing  to  do  but  watch,"  said  Eva ;  "  for 
that  very  same  time  seemed  short  to  me,  be- 
cause I  was  going  around  to  so  many  places, 
and  seeing  so  many  different  people." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Freddie,  thoughtfully, 
"  papa  once  told  me  that  it  is  not  the  number 
of  days  or  years  that  a  person  lives  that 
makes  their  life  long  or  short,  but  the  num- 
ber of  deeds  they  perform.  He  said  that  the 
busiest  life  was  the  longest ;  so  I  should  think 
that  idle  time  would  be  the  shortest." 

Eva  looked  puzzled.  She  was  sure  that 
Freddie's  reasoning  was  not  correct,  but  did 
not  know  how  to  explain  the  matter.  "  It 
does  seem  odd,"  she  said,  shaking  her  head 
doubtfully. 

"  I'll  ask  papa  ;  he  can  tell  us  how  it  is," 
cried  Freddie,  leading  the  way  to  the  dining 
room,  where  they  soon  had  their  philosophi- 
cal enigma  unravelled  over  the  Christmas 
turkey. 

"  Has  not  this  been  a  real  merry  Christ- 
mas ? "  said  Charlie  to  his  brother,  as  they 
parted  from  their  little  guest  for  the  night. 

"Yes,  indeed  it  has,"  replied  Freddie, 
heartily.  Eva  thought  so  too ;  and,  when 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  199 

she  knelt  to  offer  up  her  simple  prayers  and 
thanksgivings,  she  did  not  forget  to  thank  the 
Giver  of  all  good  gifts  for  the  little  pleasures 
as  well  as  the  great  benefits  which  had  made 
it  for  her  a  merry  Christmas. 


200  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

Do  my  young  readers  wish  to  look  in  upon 
little  Eva  once  more,  just  to  say  good-by  be- 
fore parting?  If  so,  they  must  come  with 

me  again  to  the  pretty  village  of  B .     It 

is  near  the  close  of  a  beautiful  day  in  spring. 
Eva  is  seated  on  the  steps  of  the  porch  in 
front  of  the  little  white  cottage — her  well- 
remembered,  much-loved  home.  By  her  side 
is  old  PontOj  his  great  head  resting  on  her 
knee,  to  the  no  small  peril  of  the  flowers  she 
holds  in  her  lap,  and  from  which  she  is  arran- 
ging bouquets  for  the  vases  which  stand  on  the 
step  above  her.  The  setting  sun  lights  up 
the  scene  with  a  mellow  glow.  The  birds 
are  twittering  low  and  lovingly  to  one  another, 
as  they  take  advantage  of  the  few  last  streaks 
of  sunlight  to  see  that  all  is  right  with  the 
little  ones  in  their  snug  nest  away  up  in  the 
branches  of  the  old  elm  tree,  whose  graceful 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  201 

boughs  have  so  long  sheltered  the  cottage 
alike  from  summer  suns  and  winter  blasts. 
The  child  looks  up  from  her  flowers  every 
few  moments  to  gaze  eagerly  down  the  road, 
as  if  expecting  some  one. 

Within  doors  all  looks  bright  and  cheer- 
ful. The  furniture  of  the  parlor  is  the  same 
as  in  the  old  time,  with  the  exception  of  some 
few  articles  of  more  modern  make  and  grace- 
ful form,  which  add  at  once  to  the  tastefulness 
and  comfort  of  the  little  room.  Lilian,  who 
has  just  spread  a  snowy  cloth  on  the  small, 
round  tea-table,  takes  from  the  closet  a  dainty 
set  of  French  china.  a  A  present  from  Mrs. 
Grey,"  she  says,  in  answer  to  an  exclamation 
of  admiration  from  Miss  Jackson,  who  has  for 
the  last  few  moments  been  peering  out  the 
window  in  the  same  direction  as  that  to  which 
Eva's  eyes  so  constantly  turn,  and  who  draws 
in  her  head  just  as  the  last  plate  is  laid  on 
the  table.  By  the  way,  the  table  is  set  for 
four,  though  Miss  Jackson,  Lilian,  and  Eva 
are  at  present  the  only  persons  about  the 
house. 

"  "Well,  seems  to  me  those  city  folks  ar'n't 
any  ways  mean  in  giving  presents,"  ex- 
claimed the  cheery  little  woman,  as  she  exam- 
ined the  delicate  tracery  of  one  of  the  cups. 
"I  don't  know  how  many  beautiful  things 


202  "KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART." 

yon  have  got  about  here  that  eithei  Mr.  or 
Mrs.  or  Miss  Grey  gave  to  you.  Let  me  see  ; 
there  is  the  picture  over  the  mantelpiece,  and 
your  workbox,  and  Eva's  writing  desk,  and 
all  those  beautiful  books,  and  "•  But  Miss 
Jackson's  inventory  was  cut  short  by  a  joy- 
ful shout  from  Eva,  who,  springing  up  re- 
gardless of  Ponto's  comfort  or  the  safety  of 
her  flowers,  bounded  to  the  gate,  crying  out, 
"  She  is  coming  !  she  is  coming !  " 

Lilian  and  Miss  Jackson  hurried  to  the 
door.  Yes  1  there  it  came  at  last — the  stage 
that  they  had  been  watching  for  so  long — 
sweeping  up  the  road.  It  stopped  before  the 
gate,  and  Miss  Becky,  dear  Miss  Becky  her- 
self sprang  out,  and,  catching  little  Eva  in 
her  arms,  almost  smothered  her  with  kisses. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  we  are  back  in  our 
darling  old  home  again,"  said  Eva,  when,  the 
first  excitement  of  the  meeting  over,  they 
were  all  collected  in  Miss  Becky's  room ; 
kk  and  you  are  going  to  stay  with  us  always, 
ar'n't  you?"  she  added,  as  she  wound  her 
plump  arms  around  her  friend's  neck. 

"  Yes,  just  as  long  as  you  want  me,  pre- 
cious one,"  replied  Miss  Becky,  kissing  her 
for  the  twentieth  time. 

"  Do  you  know,  Miss  Becky,  I  began  to 
fear  you  would  disappoint  us  after  all  ?  "  said 


203 

Lilian.  "  We  expected  to  find  yon  when  we 
arrived  from  New  York ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grey,  who  came  with  ns,  stayed  two  days 
later  than  they  intended,  hoping  to  see  yon  ; 
bnt  yesterday  they  were  obliged  to  go  home  ; 
and,  I  assure  yon,  they  were  very  sorry  not  to 
see  the  dear,  good  friend,  whom  they  had 
heard  Eva  and'me  talk  s6  much  about." 

"  "Well,  it  won't  be  long  before  they  see 
her,"  exclaimed  Eva  ;  "  for  oh,  Miss  Becky  ! 
they  are  coming  to  make  ns  a  visit  this  sum- 
iner,  and  they  will  bring  Isabelle  and  the 
boys  too  ;  won't  it  be  delightful  ?  " 

Miss  Becky  was  in  the  midst  of  explaining 
the  cause  of  her  delay,  when  Miss  Jackson 
made  her  appearance,  and  announced  that 
tea  was  ready.  Lilian  had  quite  forgotten 
her  housekeeping  in  the  happiness  of  seeing 
her  old  friend,  and  the  bustling  little  dress- 
maker had,  unperceived  by  the  others,  slipped 
out  of  the  room,  and  hurried  to  the  kitchen, 
just  in  time  to  save  the  biscuits  from  being 
burnt  and  the  tea  from  boiling  over. 

Eva  laughed  merrily  at  the  idea  of  the 
company  being  obliged  to  get  supper.  But  a 
very  good  supper  it  was,  and  fortunately  the 
"  company  "  was  not  ceremonious  enough  to 
let  it  spoil.  The  biscuit  were  as  white  as 
enow,  the  butter  looked  for  all  the  world 


204:  "  KEEP 

like  a  lump  of  gold ;  then  the  sponge  cake, 
made  by  Lilian's  own  hands,  was  not  to  be 
surpassed  by  any  French  cook  in  existence, 
and  the  honey — well,  we  must  give  the  bees 
credit  for  that ;  and  the  bees  who  made  that 
particular  honey  must  have  been  proficients 
in  their  art. 

While  the  little  group  around  the  table 
were  discussing  these  good  things,  they  talked 
of  the  various  changes  (they  were  not  many) 
which  had  taken  place  in  the  village  since 
they  last  met  together.  There  was  a  new 
store  around  the  corner  ;  a  terrible  conflagra- 
tion had  destroyed  the  blacksmith's  shop  and 
Captain  Giles's  barn  ;  there  had  been  several 
deaths  and  a  few  weddings,  and  that  was 
about  all  that  had  varied  the  quiet  life  of 
B . 

"Isn't  there  a  new  keeper  at  the  toll- 
gate  ?  "  asked  Miss  Becky,  when  all  these  im- 
portant events  had  been  commented  upon ; 
"  when  the  stage  passed  through  to-day,  I 
looked  out,  expecting  to  say  '  How  d'ye  do ' 
to  Sam  Green,  but  there  was  an  old  blind 
man  taking  the  toll  instead  of  Sam." 

"  Oh  yes  !  "  cried  Eva ;  "  that  is  my  old 
organ  grinder." 

"  "What,  the  one  you  wrote  me  about, 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEAKT."  205 

Lilian  ?  "  inquired  Miss  Becky  ;  "  how  came 
lie  here?" 

"  Why,  yon  see,  Miss  Becky,  the  poor  old 
soul  could  not  make  much  at  organ  grinding, 
especially  when  he  did  jiot  have  Birdie  to  sing 
for  him,"  said  Lilian,  casting  a  fond  yet  laugh- 
ing glance  at  Eva ;  "  and  as  he  was  unwilling 
to  live  on  charity,  Mr.  Grey  promised  to  find 
him  some  other  employment.  It  was  not 
very  easy  to  procure  work  for  a  blind  man, 
when  so  many  able-bodied  men  were  seeking 
it  in  vain,  but  Mr.  Grey  did  not  forget  his 
promise,  and  when  he  came  down  here,  sev- 
eral weeks  ago,  to  see  about  getting  this  dear 
old  house  for  us,  he  heard  that  the  toll  keeper 
was  going  to  California  to  mend  his  fortunes, 
and  so  secured  his  place  for  old  Antonelli." 

u  And  it  is  just  the  best  place  in  the  world 
for  him,"  added  Eva  ;  "  Luigi  is  growing  real 
fat  and  strong,  and  his  mother  is  a  great  deal 
better.  They  can  help  him  collect  the  toll. 
And  sometimes,  on  pleasant  evenings,  he 
takes  his  organ  out  on  the  green,  and  all  the 
children  gather  about  him,  to  hear  the  music, 
and  there  isn't  any  ugly  noise  to  spoil  it  all, 
as  there  was  in  Broadway." 

"What  has  become  of  your  friend  Mrs. 
Jenkins,  whom  Lilian  mentioned  in  the  same 
letter  in  which  she  told  me  about  the  Ital- 


206 

ians  ? "  asked  Miss  Becky,  when  they  had  left 
the  table,  and  Eva  was  seated  on  her  lap,  by 
the  window. 

u  She  is  in  her  old  home  yet ;  but  her  son 
Tom  is  Mr.  Grey's  coachman,  and  he  has  such 
good  wages  that  he  can  help  take  care  of  his 
father  and  mother,  so  Mrs.  Jenkins  don't  have 
to  go  out  with  her  fruit,  only  in  pleasant 
weather.  She  says  she  would  not  like  to  give 
it  up  entirely,  for  she  should  miss  the  bustle 
and  noise,  and  seeing  the  people  pass.  Oh, 
she  is  a  real  nice  woman,  and  when  I  go  to 
New  York — Mrs.  Grey  says  we  must  come 
and  visit  them  sometimes — I  am  going  to  take 
her  and  Cato  all  kinds  of  nice  good  £  country 
things '  to  eat." 

Long  after  Eva  had  said  her  prayers,  and 
Miss  Becky's  gentle  hands  had  tucked  the 
bedclothes  snugly  around  her  that  night,  ex- 
citement kept  her  awake. 

Her  brain  was  teeming  with  plans  of  im- 
provement and  amusement.  She  was  to  com- 
mence going  to  school  next  week.  How  hard 
she  would  study,  and  how  careful  she  would  be 
not  to  transgress  any  of  the  rules  !  But  after 
school  hours,  what  fine  times  she  would  have 
with  her  old  playmates  !  They  would  have 
such  pleasant  picnics  down  by  the  brook ; 
and  when  the  little  girls  came  to  visit  her, 


"KEEP  A  GOOD  HEART."  207 

how  nice  it  would  be  to  show  them  the  beau- 
tiful books  and  toys  that  she  had  brought 
from  the  city. 

But  while  her  thoughts  were  busy  with 
these  innocent  visions,  a  silvery  moonbeam 
suddenly  shot  through  the  vine-covered  case- 
ment, and,  falling  upon  the  little  statue  of 
Faith,  which  stood  on  a  stand  near  the  win- 
dow, brought  out  distinctly  from  the  sur- 
rounding obscurity  the  beautiful  figure,  with 
its  upturned  face ;  and  as  the  child  gazed  upon 
it,  she  resolved  never  to  forget  the  lesson  it 
had  taught  her,  but,  however  rough  her  path 
through  life  might  again  become,  to  take  up 
the  cross,  and  patiently  tread  the  flinty  way, 
knowing  that  though  it  might  not  lead,  as  had 
the  trials  through  which  she  had  lately  passed, 
to  a  peaceful,  happy,  earthly  home,  it  would 
yet,  if  she  faithfully  watched  for  her  Heavenly 
Father's  beckoning  hand  through  the  dark- 
ness, and  listened  to  his  guiding  voice  amid 
the  roar  of  the  tempest,  surely  terminate  in 
the  green  pastures  beside  the  still  waters  of 
that  blest  home  from  whence  there  is  no  wan- 
dering. 


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